


Inevitable

by ConnieHooper



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Adopted Child, Bisexual Richie Tozier, Coming of Age, Crushing on two people at the same time, Depression, Explicit Language, F/M, Flashbacks during chapters, I promise, IT (chapter 1) is now complete!, Internalized Bisexuality, M/M, Mentions of miscarriage, Mild Gore, Minor Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Pennywise being vengeful, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Racism, Richie Tozier Has ADHD, Richie likes Eddie as well, Soft Richie Tozier, Yikes, eight loser fic, gentle/innocent like oc, protective losers, this has fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2020-12-31 19:07:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 92,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21150707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConnieHooper/pseuds/ConnieHooper
Summary: Alex returns to Derry with her daughter, Agata, when she sees a reluctant way out of the expensive city life. Everything seems to be going well for both of them: Agata has good friends for the first time, Alex gets a job - but when Alex starts having memories of her childhood in Derry back in 1962, she realizes that IT doesn't like when IT'S meal escapes.Richie/OC by poll voting.





	1. Two Rays Arrive in Derry

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so, I know I have my story 'Breeze' but I wanted to write a story for the IT fandom for a really long time now.
> 
> There's something I need to clear though: I haven't read the book yet, but I am starting to! I bought it :) But I can only read so little each day because of my job. I hope you still enjoy it!
> 
> Cast:  
Alexandra Ray: Vera Farmiga [As a brunette]
> 
> Agata Ray: McKenna Grace [As a child, in her role in Annabelle Comes Home]
> 
> I have already posted 3 chapters on ff.net but I decided to post here as well.
> 
> Help me decide the future pairing! I have a poll on my ff.net account (which is Connie Hooper) so if you wanna vote there I'd be thankful!
> 
> Or you can just comment on who you want Agata to end up with. The options are:
> 
> Bill, Richie, Eddie, and Stan. 
> 
> Poll results so far:  
Richie: 3 votes.  
Eddie: 1 vote.  
Stan: 1 vote.

** _July 25th, 1988 - Monday_ **

** _New York City_ **

** _Alexandra's POV_ **

It was still dark out when her alarm blared to life at five o'clock in the morning. Alexandra, a thirty-five-year-old single mom, groaned as she rolled over to hit the snooze button on her clock. She fell back onto her pillow and stretched like a cat after being curled up in the same position for too long.

After five minutes, slowly, she opened her light blue eyes and allowed them to adjust to the darkness. Alexandra didn't want to get out of bed after her late-night shift, waitressing on the seafood restaurant with a handsy manager but last night had her final shift so least she could be happy about that.

But she needed to make money so she could pay the bills and ensure a safe life for her Agata – her twelve-year-old daughter – or at least that was what she told her body when she climbed out of bed to prepare everything to leave.

It wasn't like there was a lot to do. Alexandra spent her free time to help the moving company she hired to place her belongings and furniture securely inside their truck. She looked around her bedroom, and aside from the old bed with the squeaky mattress that had too many lumps that she was leaving behind in the apartment, Alexandra only eyed the alarm clock with interest because that was the only object in the room that she had yet to pack. Well, besides some of her clothes.

Seeing her apartment empty was strange for the single mom, she struggled so much to fill it by herself and try to make it cozy for her daughter – but now her hard work could be left behind thanks to sudden death in the family.

After the lukewarm shower she took to wake herself up, Alexandra tossed her shoulder-length light brown hair into a ponytail and dressed up in her pleated, high-waisted jeans, her A-line tank top, and her well-worn oversized jean jacket that she as kept from her teenage years. It was fantastic that it still fit her.

When the time for her daughter's alarm clock was nearing to blare as well, Alexandra couldn't help but feel anxious about moving back to Derry. She loved living in New York, it's where she was born, but it was too expensive and even though she was sheltering Agata from the fact that almost every month Alexandra struggled to pay everything on time and had to skip some meals so her daughter could eat, Alexandra saw her lucky opportunity to move somewhere cheaper. Even though it broke her heart to leave New York, Agata was more important.

Her parents died when she was five years old, and Alexandra also lost her unborn baby brother because her mom had been pregnant when the truck collided with their car. At the time, Alexandra had been playing in her kindergarten, unaware.

Her only living relative at the time had been her estranged paternal grandfather that lived in Derry. Alexandra doesn't remember much of her childhood there, but she sometimes has recurring nightmares of a building burning, people inside of it screaming for help and a clown.

She also remembers a little of how badly and grandfather had cared for her – Alexandra basically became independent during her childhood to survive. It was strange, she didn't remember her parents that well because she was so young when she lost them but when it came to Derry, the town where she lived until she was sixteen, Alexandra had almost no memories. And the ones she had were all foggy.

It was probably for the best. Maybe her brain was protecting her from terrible memories of her grandfather.

A month ago, Alexandra got a phone call informing her that her grandfather died in his sleep and that shockingly, he left his house to her. She didn't know why – she had run away and he was never caring towards her so the whole ordeal seemed too good to be true.

But the voice on the phone assured her that the house was now hers.

Alexandra made the decision to keep it.

Agata, her daughter with a gentle and sensitive nature, didn't have friends apart from a girl in her class named Sophie. The two weren't best friends though, Alexandra knew that they just talked to each other at school and occasionally played together. But that was it. With no friends, Agata showed no complaint when her mom told her that they were moving to a small town.

But Alexandra wondered if her daughter was really fine with leaving.

* * *

**Agata's POV**

**5:45 AM**

The twelve-year-old blinked her blue eyes open blearily and sat up in bed, an instant sleepy smile crossed her lips when Duncan, her three-year-old German Shepard dog, quickly rose his head to stare at her as he lied at the end of her bed. Duncan always slept in her bed and Agata felt safer with him around.

Outside her window, she saw a perfect summer morning, fresh, bright and sparkling, "Good morning Duncan," she softly greeted him before stretching her limbs as she yawned at the same time. Duncan followed soon after, making her giggle.

However, Agata let out a startled gasp when her alarm clock suddenly started to ring – it seems that she had woken up just seconds before it was time for her to wake up with it. Sighing, and feeling her heart hammering quickly just for that little scare, Agata pushed the snooze button and pouted towards her dog companion.

"I need to stop scaring myself like that, boy," The brunette said before throwing the cotton sheet off her body and hopping out of bed. Duncan soon did the same, his tail waggling when Agata began petting his head, "Good boy, Duncan."

Duncan whined happily as he sat down for more pats, Agata was short for her age so even when he sat down, Duncan's head reached her chest. The petting was interrupted when her mom opened the door and smiled warmly at the sight of her daughter awake with Duncan.

"Good morning sweetie," Alexandra smiled, "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did," Agata told her before taking a second look at her mom, "Oh, you're already dressed" she realized.

Alexandra nodded, "We need to leave in less than an hour to reach Derry by lunchtime, don't forget it's a seven-hour ride."

Agata looked back at her alarm clock and saw that it's was nearly six in the morning, "Oh" ever since summer vacation began, Agata would usually only wake up at eleven or noon due to her late-night reading or insomnia, but surprisingly she woke up fairly early today.

While Alexandra took Duncan for a walk to the park before they began their road trip to Derry, Agata showered and got dressed. Before sending her clothes to Derry, her mom told her to choose an outfit for her to use during the road trip and Agata opted for a white pleated skirt that reached her knees, a lilac V-neck t-shirt that she tucked inside the skirt and her aqua-colored ballet flats.

Agata then placed her silver necklace and her simple bead bracelet. She then brushed her teeth and afterward, she combed her long brown hair with wavy tips and decided to let it loose for today. She waited for her mom to return with Duncan inside her bedroom, grabbing her 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' book and placing it on her lap to read during the car ride.

When her mom arrived, they all put the rest of the belongings, such as their pajamas, alarms clocks, and Duncan's dry food, in a duffel bag. They didn't have much furniture either so everything was able to fit inside the moving truck.

When it was time to leave, Agata and her mom took one last look inside their small apartment, filled with mold on the ceiling, leaks during raining and windows that didn't open – but it was still home, it had been the place where Alexandra raised her daughter since she was two years old and it was good enough to have sheltered them for ten years.

"Goodbye New York," Agata sighed meekly before walking out into the building's corridor.

* * *

**No one's POV**

**8:34 AM**

Alexandra didn't remember how her grandfather's house looked like but she hoped it wouldn't look too empty once they arrive there.

They have been on the road for two hours now and she smiled at the sight of her daughter sleeping on the backseat while Duncan lied next to her, placing his head protectively on her thigh.

Every since they were robbed two years ago while they were out grocery shopping, Alexandra swore to never let it happen again and even though she changed her lock – she was not satisfied. It cost her a lot of money but she doesn't regret getting Duncan to protect the house. She got the German Shepard when he was about to turn one year old but the guy that sold him to her assured that he had been well trained.

And Alexandra was relieved she hadn't been wronged by the man.

Duncan was amazing and fiercely loyal. He also guarded Agata and whenever Alexandra had to go on a quick trip to a mini-market at a certain hour of the night, taking Duncan with her made her feel much safer.

**12:33 PM**

Alexandra enjoyed taking scenic routes such as the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut, and Interstate eighty-four passing Old Sturbridge, a quintessential New England town.

Four hours into the trip, Agata woke up disoriented and with no memory of falling asleep as her mom was passing by Boston, and soon Alexandra realized she'd have to stop by a gas station to re-fill her gas and buy something for the two to eat.

Agata never complained about being hungry, she knew better than to bring up the sensitive topic such as having enough food to eat to her mom.

They ended up stopping by a rustic old-style diner, simply named Brunswick Diner. From the outside, it looked like a simple, small, red farmhouse. Inside was a time warp, replete with table-side jukeboxes and small wrap around coffee counter. It established itself in ninety twenty-two next to a gas station that was also run by the family. It had been Agata's first time in a diner and Alexandra had a sudden memory of working in one as well when she was a teenager, it was strange that she only remembered about it as soon as the greasy smell of fries and the strong scent of coffee hit her nostrils.

The food took a while to get to them, a true sign of made to order. Both ordered the French toast and sausage links with two strawberry smoothies. The French toasts had a nice cinnamon crunch to them, perfect to smother with butter and drizzle with syrup, and the sausage snapped through its natural casing as Alexandra cut and bit into it, releasing great savory flavors to counter the sweetness.

She was relieved to see Agata eat so well, the girl was so full that she didn't even want dessert.

Alexandra always knew her daughter was special, as all good mothers think of their child, but what type of kid her age refuses to order dessert even after being full? She hoped that Agata could enjoy the little things about being a child as long as she could like Alexandra did.

When she ran away from Derry, and even though she was homeless, the brunette traveled around the country by taking car rides from strangers, befriended people that offered her their couch temporarily and just enjoy life without any money until she returned to New York and started her own life there.

After paying the bill and leaving a satisfying tip, the girls let Duncan out for a while for him to stretch his legs and Agata filled his traveling bowls with some food and water. After Duncan had his exercise and had his own stomach filled, the small family hit the road again.

**1:50 PM**

They got stuck in a traffic jam on the outskirts of a town called Ludlow, but they were already in Maine. Duncan was again, resting his head on his girl's laps as Agata looked at the forest surrounding the small road.

Alexandra sighed, she knew the entrance of Derry would show up at any moment but it wasn't because of the traffic she was feeling slightly anxious. She was used to traffic, she was a New York driver. It was because of an itch that began covering her nape.

She even thought it was a bug that had somehow crawled inside the car and then her, but even though she has scratched the back of her neck plenty of time, it would not go away. Her reasonable side told her that maybe the diner's food awoke some kind of temporary allergic reaction from her skin.

Its often said that if you have a bad feeling about something, you should follow that intuition. But Alexandra's anxiety about moving back to Derry made it very hard for her to listen to it. If she had, Alexandra would have turned her car around and return to New York.

But if she had done that, then she wouldn't have indirectly helped the Losers Club to defeat Pennywise.

So Alexandra shook it off, thinking she was jumping to conclusions.

After thirty minutes into slow traffic and talking to Agata about how exciting it was for them to began a new life, her daughter suddenly pointed at a road sign for Derry – and the two couldn't help to let out a relieved chuckle before Alexandra turned on her indicator lights to warn the car behind her that she was going to turn, and when she did, the traffic was left behind as Alexandra had to road to herself while making her way towards Derry.

* * *

**Derry, Maine  
Moore House, 7 West Broadway**

**2:30 PM**

**No one's POV**

Before becoming Alexandra Ray, she was born a Moore. That had been the last name of her late dad, and her paternal grandfather. Albert Moore passed away at the age of eighty-five during his sleep, at least that is what Alexandra was told. What she didn't know was that he had created a reputation for himself in Derry, a really bad one.

Everyone in the small town called him Devil Moore behind his back and both children and adults avoided his house like the abandoned one on Neibolt Street. There were rumors he was possessed by the devil but the one that was more popular amongst the youth was that he used to kill children and keep them buried inside his basement.

That's why when the news of his death spread faster than a common cold across Derry, no one seemed to mourn him. Sure, there was a ceremony for him but only the people who were nice enough to show up and leave a flower in his grave showed up.

Albert's death was forgotten when the rumor that his granddaughter was returning to live in his house began. No one could believe that Albert had left his house to her – even though she left Derry nineteen years ago and never returned, some of the residents in Derry that still remember her or even went to school with the infamous Devil Moore's granddaughter were surprised that he had done something nice such as leaving his house for her.

That's why when Alexandra Ray parked her pale blue AMC Gremlin in front of the infamous ugly yellow-colored house.

Alexandra turned off the engine and stared with distaste at the front yard, the lawn was dry and weeds could be seen outgrowing around the foundation around the small, two-story house. There was also some dirt patches randomly spread around the lawn, and Alexandra was suddenly hit with a memory of her trying to plant an apple tree in the backyard, hidden behind the shed where sometimes her grandfather would lock her in for hours when she misbehaved.

She gasped shakingly and gripped on her stirring wheel tightly as she heard her eight-year-old self begging her grandpa to let her out.

_"Please grandpa, please! There's a scary monster after me! It told me it was going to eat me! Let me out"_

_"Shut you lying bitch! You're going to stay there all night if you don't shut up about seeing demons!"_

"Mom? Are you okay?"

Agata's gentle tone brought her mom back from the trance of her forgotten past, and Alexandra quickly took a few deep breaths before plastering a smile on her face to look at her from her seat.

"I'm fine honey, just felt a little overwhelmed because of the yard's state," she said with a long sigh, "But, I guess what my little summer project will be!" Alexandra told her with a smile.

Agata smiled back, unaware of her mom's dark memories.


	2. There's a First Time For Everything

<strike></strike> **July 29th, 1988**

**Bay Village, Boston**

**No one's POV**

Daniel Wright, a thirty-seven-year-old man, sighed as he stared into the tall buildings of Boston. Daniel was a tall, lanky man, with a handsome face, doe brown eyes, and a shaggy dark-blonde hair with curly tips. He looked younger than he was and he was also often ogled by young girls whenever he walked inside his classroom in New Mission High School.

Daniel knew that his students stared, and while he was flattered, he was smart enough to keep himself out of their reach or simply shut down their hormonal flirting with a goofy remark.

He had a serious expression on his usually beaming face as he guided his cigarette into his mouth for a long inhale from it, and the reason for that was because, during his sleep, he dreamed of a woman he hasn't seen in twelve years.

Alexandra Moore.

Daniel always wondered what happened to the last woman he ever dated. The woman that had caught him in bed with someone. Daniel still regrets ending his almost two-year relationship in a terrible manner, but if he was being honest with himself, he had been relieved she finally caught him. The guilt that he had carried from cheating on her for seven months was eating him alive and even though breaking up with her right away had been something Daniel wanted to do, he was forced to remain in a relationship with a woman just to please his father.

Daniel was gay. And his father was extremely homophobic.

When Alexandra caught him having sex with Kyle Higgins, a man three years older than him that twelve years ago also hid inside the closet and had married a woman to make his family happy, Daniel thought he was a goner. He thought that Alexandra would vengefully tell his father about what she witnessed – but to this day, even when he ran away from his old life to become someone new, he regretted thinking so lowly of her.

Alexandra had been so nice and caring and he hated himself every time she would tell him how much she loved him. How lucky she had been to find him – and while she said those sweet nothings, he always thought about Kyle Higgins and his bright blue eyes looking at him.

Blue eyes, just like Alexandra's. Maybe that's why he chose her.

Daniel frowned as he watched the smoke of the cigarette come out of his mouth and dissipate into the warm air of Boston.

He hasn't spoken to his father in twelve years and Kyle Higgins, who Daniel still sees twice a month in a very secretive way (and always ends with him feeling like shit for sleeping with a married man), was still married, with two kids nonetheless.

Daniel smirked sourly before dragging another inhale from his death stick. Punishingly enough, he was tragically single and even though he loved the idea of becoming a father, that was never going to happen.

* * *

**Derry, Maine**

**Alexandra's Mind**

Alexandra seemed to be in a trance as she stared outside the window in her kitchen that was in front of the sink. She was scrubbing the last plate that needed to be washed, but as she looked outside, the brunette suddenly started to think about her past again.

It's been a week since the two Ray women and their loyal dog Duncan moved into Derry. Surprisingly, Agata was adjusting well enough and Duncan loved having a backyard to run around and play. Alexandra could hear them right now because the back door that led outside was open, and the gentle laughter that her daughter suddenly gave was enough to bring Alexandra back.

She blinked and sighed, turning off the hot water and placing the now clean plate on the drying rack with the rest of the dish she'd recently washed.

Alexandra was tired. It had been a busy week for her.

First, she had to find a job quickly, and she found it in Derry's Sunny Diner – the only diner in the town. She was able to arrange a job there as a waitress but as soon as she got her shift schedule, Alexandra knew it was going to be tough. She'd work from Mondays to Thursdays from noon to eight and then on Fridays and Saturdays she'd work from three to nine – she was glad to have a working car because the trip from her house to her job was ten minutes, and by foot, it would've been forty minutes.

Just imagining Agata alone in this house late into the night was enough for Alexandra to feel nauseous.

So she planned to work with this schedule for a while and then when she's more familiar with her boss, try to change her schedule for her to be home when night comes.

Second, she had to enroll Agata in Derry Middle School.

Principal Haywood wasn't the same Principal she had when Alexandra was a student here, which relieved her because a sudden memory of Principal Field yelling at her in the halls, right in front of everyone, because she was caught skipping P.E flooded her memory lane.

But Principal Haywood was warmly welcoming of an old student and even toured the school for both of them on the same day. Alexandra had mixed feelings about walking in the halls again and seeing her old classrooms – in the bathroom on the second floor was where Patricia and Evvie – two very pretty and popular girls – had forced her to drink toilet water when she was twelve years old.

She had the urge to spit right on the floor after remembering it.

Principal Haywood had promised that her daughter was going to love being a student there. Alexandra hoped so too.

Agata seemed fine enough with her new school but Alexandra knew her daughter.

Agata was a quiet child, but very observant too. It was like the universe had balanced her daughter's personality. But sometimes Alexandra worried about her first day in that school. In New York, her classmates were used to her being the quiet kid and no one actually bothered her – but small-town kids were different, and from what Alexandra remembers from her childhood in this town, kids here could be mean.

The air smelled rotten when they headed out of that school, and when they reached her car, Alexandra and Agata saw a red balloon tied to the rear-mirror that said 'Welcome Back!'.

They were both weirded out by it, but they shrugged it off thinking it was a prank from local teenagers.

That happened yesterday, and Alexandra couldn't help but look over her shoulder ever since because she had a feeling someone was staring at her. She also began having insomnia and hear the floors downstairs creaking loudly at night. No one had been home and she always locked both doors and every window downstairs before going to sleep – so Alexandra's logical mind thought on everything that was causing this, except for the supernatural part.

Besides, Duncan never showed signs of an intruder being in the house.

She didn't believe in ghosts. Only in old memories that seemed to be getting to her more nowadays every since she arrived in Derry.

* * *

**August 1st, 1988 - Monday**

**1:11 PM**

**Agata's POV**

"Honey, you need to get out of the house and make friends," Alexandra gingerly said as an episode of 'The Golden Girls' ended.

The two were enjoying some television time just after lunch and Alexandra as been thinking about how much she wanted her daughter to have friends here. She doesn't want their life in New York to chase them to their new one and it would leave Alexandra devastated to see her daughter being labeled as the 'quiet kid' or the 'lonely kid' again.

Agata almost pouted as she petted Duncan on his soft, furry head. She dreaded this conversation. She liked staying indoors, reading her books and playing with Duncan in the backyard. Agata also liked helping her mom make this once alcohol smelling house turn homier but it was clear that her mom had other plans for today.

Her shift was going to start in less than two hours and Agata knew her mom didn't want her to stay home alone for too long. She wanted her to make friends and have the company of someone other than Duncan's.

"I know mommy," Agata quietly muttered as Duncan leaned into her hand for more petting.

Alexandra smiled knowingly at her daughter, "I know it sucks sweetie, but I want you to enjoy your last month of vacation before you start school," she paused to look at her wristwatch, "Wouldn't it be nice to start school with already knowing some of the kids there?"

Agata thought how nice that sounded, but that was it. It was good to hear about her finally making friends but it's easier to imagine in than for her to physically approach someone and introduce herself.

Agata's introverted nature told her to stay home and finish her Alice's Adventures in Wonderland book, she's been dancing around finishing it since she arrived at this house, but she loved her mom more than anything in her life. And Agata liked making her hard-working mom happy since it made her life easier.

Can't afford to order pizza? No problem.

Not enough for ice cream? That's okay.

Only one Christmas gift every year? Agata gratefully took it.

Making her mom miserable because of their low financial lifestyle? It would kill Agata inside.

So, reluctantly, Agata stood up from the couch where she had previously been sitting on to watch television with her mom and gives her a tight smile, "Okay mommy, I'll try this time."

Alexandra gave her daughter a gentle, but sad smile. From her seat from the couch they were sharing, she reached her hand to grab Agata's and squeezed the smaller hand in a comforting way, "Agata, you don't have to force yourself to approach every kid you see out there. I just want you to be with kids your age while I'm at work, I worry about leaving you alone with Duncan all day."

Agata loved her mom very much. They were a small family, with Agata having no idea of the whereabouts of her father, and even though she has been curious about him, Agata realized how sensitive the subject was to her mom.

When she was eight years old, Agata asked her mom about her dad after a sad Father's Day where her class painted mugs to later gift them to their dads. Agata did one for her mom like she always did, but this time she made questions. The only thing her mother offered was that the last time she saw him was when she was living in Boston.

Agata knew better than to ask too many questions about her mom's past, she knew it was messy. She knew that her mom, after running away from Derry, traveled around the country with strangers that became her friends. But even they were forgotten by her mom because Agata was never introduced to a friend of hers.

"We're fine by ourselves, mom," Agata calmly stated, "But" squeezing her mom's hand as well, Agata gave her a small smile, "I'll try, for you."

Alexandra grinned at her daughter and showed her a grateful look on her face as she spoke, "Thank you, honey."

* * *

**Thirty minutes later**

Abigail sauntered through Witcham Street on her way to the nearest park she could find. She had Duncan on a leash and he was having a great time, sniffing the area and loving the fresh air, but always walking slightly ahead of her in a protective manner.

She was wearing a navy-colored circle skirt and a mint peasant top with a square neckline and short puff sleeves. Agata chose to put on her white hush puppies slip-on loafers with matching scrunch socks. Since the weather was hot and sunny today, she decided to put her hair up in a ponytail with a pink scrunchie tying around it.

And no matter what she wore, her silver necklace and her bead bracelet were two jewelry that Agata always had with her. They were very important because her mom worked hard to gift them on her tenth and eleventh birthday and Agata took very well care of them.

Agata was walking and looking around at the same time, taking in the neighboorhood around her. It was different from New York. She used to live in an area with apartment buildings covering the streets, so getting used to seeing suburban houses everywhere was an experience. Her mom did say that there were apartment buildings in Derry but they were on the other side of the town, maybe if Agata sees them she'll feel like home again.

Agata was scared of living here. She had the safety of knowing where everything was back in the city. Here, she only knew where the library was, and it was a good ten-minute walk to get there. Maybe after taking Duncan to the park she could go there and make her library card to finally start taking new books home.

Her thoughts, however, were interrupted when suddenly a boy crossed the opposite street, running towards her with an excited look on his face.

"A police dog!" he happily greeted them.

Agata paused her steps to take a look at the boy. He couldn't be older than six, his doe eyes gleamed with curiosity and wonder as he stared at Duncan, who sat on the pavement when Agata stopped walking.

She felt a little awkward, but since it was a younger kid Agata wasn't as anxious as she could've been, "He's not a police dog," she told him lightly, "His name is Duncan, and he's my best friend," she inwardly cringed at her choice of words, feeling relieved that this was a child and not someone her age.

As birds chirped in the tree above them and when the little boy was about to talk again, Agata heard another voice from where he had come from.

"G-G-Georgie!"

A boy with a worried expression ran across the road to get to them. He had cropped auburn hair and his blue eyes looked anxiously between the little boy, apparently named Georgie, and Duncan.

Agata understood, even though Duncan was still growing up he was a fairly large dog and Duncan could come off as intimidating for those who didn't know how sweet he was. So she sympathized with the boy's concern.

"Hi, Billy! Look at how big this dog is! She told me his name is Duncan!" Georgie enthusiastically told him before turning to Agata, "Can I pet Duncan?" he asked expectantly.

Agata couldn't say no to that face, she smiled and nodded at him, and with her consent, Georgie began patting Duncan enthusiastically, and the German Shepard appreciated the attention as he waggled his tail at the attention from the smaller boy.

The older boy stared at Agata and she saw his eyes widen a little bit, "H-He doesn't b-bite, right?"

Agata shyly decided to watch Georgie and Duncan as she replied, "No, he only attacks bad people."

"Just like a police dog!" Georgie happily piped before giggling when Duncan licked the palm of his hand.

That made the blue-eyed boy smile a little, "C-Cool," without hesitation this time, he reaches his hand towards Duncan's head and pats his fur as well, "Good b-boy, Duncan."

Agata noticed his stuttering, but she was raised to never make questions about other people's differences that didn't seem regular. So she decided to ignore it and gulped down her little anxious voice telling her to go away before she spoke again, interrupting Duncan's petting session, "I'm Agata, I moved here a week ago."

Georgie is the first to look at her, "I'm George, but you can call me Georgie! This is my big brother Bill, but I call him Billy!"

Agata couldn't help but smile at the boy's jubilant attitude. She also sensed pride in his voice when he introduced his brother. There was no doubt that they were close.

"G-Georgie! I can speak f-for myself," Bill scolded him lightly, giving Agata a sheepish look, "Y-You're the n-n-new kid then, nice to m-meet you," he declared with a friendly smile, "A-Are you f-f-from New York C-City?"

Agata's shy expression changed into a surprised one, "How did you know?"

Georgie giggled, "News travels fast in Derry!" he inputted as he shared a look with Bill.

She frowned, looking at the pavement as suddenly she began feeling anxious, "I see..."

After an awkward pause between the trio, Duncan's sudden bark startled the three of them. Approaching from the road, and riding his bicycle, a boy could be seen suddenly hitting the breaks, creating an obnoxious sound, by the curb and widening his eyes towards the dog.

"What the fuck is that?!" he exclaimed, not taking his dark eyes hidden behind thick black glasses from Duncan, who had calmed down when Agata gently hushed him.

Agata cringed at the choice of words the boy decided to throw at them, she wasn't used to hearing curses, especially through the mouth of someone her age.

"Beep beep R-Richie! Watch y-your tone! Ge-Georgie is right here!" Bill snapped at once as his little brother grinned widely.

Leaving his bicycle by simply unceremoniously dumping it on the pavement, this Richie boy approached the trio with an awed expression towards Duncan, and the dog was staring back curiously.

"Dude, what a beast!" he finally looked up at the dog's owner and grinned, "Is he yours? Who are you? Who is she?!" he seemed thrilled with the prospect of finding a random intimidating but his overbearing entrance had thrown Agata off, was he talking to her or Bill?

Bill rolled his eyes with a knowing look on his face, managing to send Agata an apologetic smile before speaking on Richie's behalf.

"Hi, Richie! This is Duncan and her name is Agata!" Georgie answered brightly.

In response, the spectacled boy ruffled the younger boy's hair in a brotherly manner as he now looked at Agata. Richie's smile seemed to have dropped a little bit when he noticed her appearance, and Agata didn't know how to act as she got stared by him.

"Uhm, nice to meet you?" avoiding looking at him, her bluebell eyes averted towards Duncan, who seemed to want more of Georgie's attention as he beckoned the little boy's hand by placing his muzzle underneath his hand.

"Oh! You're New York!" Richie suddenly exclaimed as realization crossed his face.

She nodded, still staring at the adorable scene of Georgie complying with Duncan's request and giving him more pats on his head. Duncan's wagging tail was hitting her shin nonstop, but she didn't mind it because to her it was a form of comfort.

Agata only wanted to reach a park for Duncan to play in and then go to the library but it seemed that nothing goes according to plan when you live in a small town. In New York City, you walked in the streets and minded your own business, the city that never sleeps is always moving forward with people that sometimes had to time to stop and chinwag.

"S-She's not New York, she's f-f-from New York," She heard Bill say apprehensively.

"I know that! So, city girl! What's it like to move from a big ass city to a shitty old town?"

Agata cringed, becoming a little overwhelmed, "Uhm I don't know. It's quiet here," she paused and mustered some strength to look up again to look at Bill and Richie, they both were giving her intently expressions and Agata almost looked down again, "I'm used to hearing sirens at night and traffic sounds."

Richie seemed impressed, "Wow, oh wait – I haven't properly introduced myself!" he grinned, extending his arm towards her, "Richie Tozier's the name, and doing voices is my game!"

Agata smiled at that and used her leash-free hand to hold Richie's, but before she could shake it he pulled her hand towards his face and promptly pecked her knuckles with his chapped lips, startling the brunette and making Georgie giggle.

"Pleased to meet such a beautiful city dame as yourself, Ms. Agata," he continues with an English accent as she pulled her arm back to the side of her body with cheeks reddening by the second.

"R-Richie! Don't d-do that, you've m-m-made her u-uncomfortable!" Bill scolded him lightly, used to his friend's antics but feeling sympathetic for Agata, who wasn't, "S-Sorry, he's like this to e-everyone."

With a feigned gasp and an exaggerated hurt expression, Richie placed his hand on Bill's shoulder, "Big Bill! I can't believe you're tainting this girl's mind with lies about me already!" he waggled his eyebrows at him, "No need to be jealous, you know I love you more," he laughed when Bill swatted his arm away with an exasperated expression.

"Beep beep R-Richie," Bill lightly grumbled.

Agata stared at their interaction in awe, it was obvious they were close friends. When Agata watched the other kids play during recess time she would always be curious about their friendships. She noticed that groups were formed amongst her classmates but they all seemed to get along outside of their circle as well – being social must be such an amazing thing. Being able to never exhaust yourself both mentally and socially when you're speaking to a lot of people every day or when you're able to have more than four close friends in your life was considered a super-power in Agata's mind.

So, when it came to being social, Agata was powerless.

She took comfort in her books and avid imagination that came with reading so many fantasy books. Her favorite genre was adventure and books filled with kids that go on quests to save the world or simply to just have fun. She loved 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy and even though her current fixation was Alice in Wonderland, she'd return to them and gulp down the story like it was the first time reading it.

Books about friendship were, ironically, what she wanted to read most.

Which perhaps was a sign from her mind begging for her to make friends. And Agata would always think 'easier said than done' to that.

"Agata? Where do you live?" Georgie suddenly asked, interrupting her deep thinking and his brother's bickering with Richie that had blended in the background.

Agata stared at him and smiled, feeling more relaxed around the boy, "I live in West Broadway street, house number seven."

Georgie's smile dropped as he stopped petting Duncan, Richie's eyes comically widened and Bill was left completely speechless as he gave Agata a startled look.

"Holy _shit_! That's Devil Moore's house!" Richie exclaimed at once, using his arm to shake Bill's shoulder with complete euphoria, "That's Devil Moore's _fucking_ house, Bill!"

"I know R-R-Richie! S-Stop shaking m-me!" the blue-eyed boy yelled, swatting his arm away again.

Georgie looked up at Agata with a frown, "Oh no..."

"I thought he died?! Holy shit! How can you even sleep there?!" Richie continued, staring at Agata with newfound respect.

Bill remained silent as he expectantly waited for Agata to answer.

The brunette was still a little astonished by their reaction but then she remembered her mom telling her about the reputation he had in this town. She couldn't imagine anyone related to her mom being mean-spirited but judging by the reactions Georgie, Bill and Richie had when she told them where she lived, Agata believed in the accusations now more than ever, "He was my great-grandfather and when he died he left the house to my mom," she promptly explained.

"D-Devil Moore had f-family?" Bill wondered out loud as he scowled confusedly.

"Dude! You're related to that evil asshat? I feel bad for you," Richie shook his head and placed his hands on his hips.

"He's dead. Only my mom and I," Duncan cut her with a small whine, making her smile, "and Duncan, live there now."

"Is," Georgie stopped talking mid-sentence as if he hesitant, "...is your house haunted?"

Richie and Bill looked from Georgie to Agata, waiting for her answer, and this was when she decided to sigh.

"Of course not, there's no such thing as ghosts," Agata told the boy with a strained smile. All of this attention on her was starting to overwhelm her because she was not used to getting attention from kids her age. She almost didn't know what to say anymore.

"Are you sure about that? My dad told me there's the ghost of a janitor that died at his workplace and–" Richie stopped talking when he felt Bill's glare on him, then he looked at the frightened expression on Georgie and the skeptical look on Agata, "Okay tough crowd. I get it, beep beep," he grumbled.

"What does that mean?" Agata asked, finally giving in to her curiosity.

"Its m-meant to t-tell Richie to s-slow down when he t-talks too m-much," Bill explained through his stuttering. Surprisingly, Agata was getting used to it.

"It's from Roadrunner!" Georgie piped in, obviously a fan of the cartoon.

Agata liked Looney Tunes as well.

After changing the subject from her great-grandfather to discussing what cartoon was the best, Richie finally gave Duncan some petting and Bill managed to scratch behind his ears. Duncan was getting more attention than usual because the only people who did that were his girls. So his tail wagged the whole time as Agata continued talking with Richie, Bill, and cute little Georgie.

And even though they didn't know, their little chat by the sidewalk was the beginning of a friendship that would last forever. A friendship that was so strong that would kill an evil entity in twenty-eight years.


	3. Like Peas and Chocolate Cupcakes

**August 25th, 1988 – Tuesday**

It's been almost four weeks since Agata has befriended a group of very interesting and intriguing boys.

After meeting Bill and Richie (and the adorable Georgie), the boys decided to introduce her to the rest of their friends the next day, and Agata had been so nervous to meet them, but Bill was quick to assure her that his friends would be nice to her. She had a feeling that Bill was kinda the leader of the group, and she was very curious about his leadership skills.

When she first met Eddie Kaspbrak, he complimented the red ribbon on her ponytail and asked her if she had any grave diseases. Agata, able to quickly recover from the unusual question, simply told the boy that the only time she got seriously sick was two years ago when death almost took her in the form of pneumonia. Agata thought that Eddie was a little obsessed with health, and he wouldn't stop talking about how dirty New York City's subway tunnels must be. Eddie also wasn't a big fan of Duncan in the beginning, claiming that dogs always catch fleas and ticks – but he warmed up to him when Eddie threw a stick and Duncan brought it back.

Stan Uris liked Duncan right away, and the German Shepard instantly started licking his palms as soon as Agata approached them with Bill by her side. Stan seemed more level-headed and she noticed his eye-rolling habit whenever Richie would make a dirty joke or banter with Eddie.

Bickering or not, after spending the afternoon with the boys and knowing them better, Agata understood how close the four were.

For the past four weeks, Agata was able to harmonize herself with the group, and even though it was difficult to adapt herself to having a social group that genuinely wanted her to be involved with them – Agata was glad to have met them. She was slowly coming out of her shell and seeing her mom happy to see her hanging out with her friends incentivized Agata to pull herself introverted soul out of the security of being alone with Duncan and her books.

And then she had the pleasure of meeting the Bowers gang two weeks ago.

If Agata was anxious about being social, then she was completely mortified by the way the older teen boys acted towards her new friends. She had been confused why Richie had shielded her body behind him when the Bowers nasty boys had approached them on their way to the Barrens.

Henry Bowers, the obvious leader of the delinquents, terrorized the twelve-year-old when he noticed her. Agata disliked everything from his foul mouth, erratic eyes and ugly mullet. He called her all the names women hate being called and ultimately marked her to be bullied.

If it wasn't for Duncan's empowering barking, warning Henry and his friends to back off when they took a step towards the group of younger teens, Agata might've tasted the dreadful 'Welcome to Derry' ritual Henry did.

If it wasn't for the boys standing in front of her, she would've started crying right there.

The worst part is that she did end up crying when the gang left, the boys were a bit awkward about seeing a girl crying around them but eventually they comforted her and Richie managed to make her laugh seconds later.

But meeting Bowers' gang had shaken her so much that she didn't leave her bedroom for three days, and when the boys eventually managed to bring her out of the house, Agata looked over her shoulder all the time.

That happened two weeks ago, though.

And Agata was calmer about the whole situation now.

The five teens were down in the Barrens, building a dam and splashing each other at the same time. Duncan was having the time of his life, never he had this much attention from a group of kids – so he was now having a well-deserved rest under the shade of a tree while he protectively watched his owner and her friends.

"Rich–! Do not fucking throw water in my face! We talked about this, it can get inside my mouth! There are larva eggs in this water and if I swallow it I'll be a fucking walking house for them!" Eddie snapped at the spectacled boy once Richie had splashed water towards his face.

"Your mom said the same thing last night when I came in her mouth," Richie quipped at the shorter boy while wagging his eyebrows with a wicked grin.

He dodged the sudden splash of water Eddie threw his way and just like that the two began fighting each other using the river as their weapons. And while Richie found the whole moment hilarious – Eddie had a murderous look in his dark eyes.

Agata gave them a knowing look and shook her head as she placed another stone on top of their dam, it was getting higher and higher and even though it was such a small thing to do, she was having fun thanks to the company she had.

"Are they always arguing like this?" the brunette asked Stan, who was kneeling next to her and focusing on keeping his rock balanced enough to create a wall.

The curly-haired boy rolled his eyes, "You've been with us for like a month now, so you should know," he then smiled good-naturedly at the girl when she started chuckling.

"You're right Stan, I guess I just need to get even more used to it," Agata told him with an amused smile.

"If y-you keep hanging o-out with us, you w-will," Bill remarked, giving her a friendly grin.

"Of course she'll keep hanging out with us! Won't you, Aggie?" Richie piped in as he abruptly jumped right in front of them, making Agata squeak when he splashed all of the three of them simultaneously.

Stan and Bill quickly stood up and began shouting at him while Agata ran out of the river, looking at her wet dress with a frown.

"Richie!" she squealed after the boys were done yelling at him, "This dress is new!"

Eddie came up from behind him and splashed him right in the face, "You're getting her new dress dirty you asshole!" he barked in Agata's defense.

Richie managed to laugh before coughing out some of the water that got into his mouth, "Sorry!" he spluttered out, giving Agata a genuine but quick apologetic grin, "I'll buy you ice cream!"

Agata seemed pleased with his promise of the free treat so she instantly stopped being upset about being soaked. While the boys began a now full splash war, Agata decided to take a seat next to Duncan and watch them with a smile stuck on her lips.

Duncan whined as a form of greeting when his girl started patting his head after sitting on a rock near the tree, Agata didn't like sitting on the grass but she was starting to get used to being surrounded by nature almost every day. Her new friends liked hanging out in this area and Agata couldn't complain. Hanging out with them was preferable than staying home alone with Duncan all day.

Watching her mom work all day and only coming home at dinner time was something that Agata was accustomed to, but before, she had the racket of her loud neighbors and New York City's noises that brought Agata a peculiar solace, and she'd rather have all that back than living in a two-story house in a quiet neighboorhood.

So yes, she couldn't complain. Wherever they wanted to go, Agata would follow.

The boys eventually stopped splashing each other and decided to join Agata for a snack break. Usually, before leaving their homes after lunch, the group would pack some snacks (and Eddie never forgot to put his second fanny pack and mini first aid kit inside of his), and Agata's mom showed her love for her daughter and appreciation for her new friends by packing her some of the desserts leftovers from the diner – it seems that her mom was getting along with her co-workers.

"Hey asshole, she was giving me the chocolate cupcake to me!" Eddie exclaimed as Richie took a bite out of it after grabbing it from Agata's hand.

"Language..." Agata mumbled as she rummaged through her backpack to fetch her peanut butter sandwich. She rarely scolded the boys about their swearing, but sometimes she couldn't help it.

"What? No way dude, I grabbed it first," Richie retorted, talking with his mouth full purposely near Eddie.

"It doesn't matter, you know my mom doesn't let me eat stuff like this and Agata said–"

Agata, not wanting another spat to happen while they were eating, quickly silenced Eddie's rambling by taking out another wrapped chocolate cupcake from her backpack. This one was going to be for her but she already had her sandwich so she didn't mind giving it to Eddie.

"O-Oh..." Eddie seemed embarrassed when he grabbed it, "Thanks, Agata," he smiled shyly at her before unwrapped the napkin around it and taking a bite while glaring at a smug-looking Richie, whose mouth was covered with chocolate.

Bill was secretly hoping that Agata had another sweet treat enough for him but after seeing Agata grab her peanut butter sandwich and take a bite out of it, he hid his disappointed expression and started eating his bag of chips while Stan started to pat Duncan while eating his apple.

Seeing all that food made the dog whine for some attention, and Agata quickly took out his traveling bowl from her bag and some canine dry food. Truly, what impressed the boys about Agata was how thoughtful she was of them and Duncan. She was too gentle to hang out with them but the four took upon their own hands to protect her from the Bowers Gang.

Bill knew that bringing a girl into the group was a risky concept, but with Richie's help he was able to convince Eddie and Stan to accept her – Richie even teased Eddie for complimenting her red ribbon after Agata left.

Since Agata didn't have a bicycle, she'd ride on the back of whoever offered first, which usually ended in a brawl between who would get to let a pretty girl sit on their bicycles. The reason why they'd fight over it before Agata arrived was that having her arms wrapped around their torsos made them feel tingly in a good way, and even though they didn't dwell much on the strange notion – they liked it.

But they could never argue in front of her.

Stan noticed that Agata always side-saddled while sitting down and he liked how ladylike the brunette could be sometimes, it was a change of fresh air from seeing Richie chase Eddie with a muddy stick.

"We should g-get a cargo to a-attach to one of our bikes to c-carry Duncan," Bill suddenly said, bringing the attention of his friends.

Duncan always had to chase after the bicycle that had his owner. He was too big to carry and it was a little dangerous to leave him just to chase after them through the busy streets. Agata worried so much that he'd get hit by a car or get lost.

"Dude, do you know how expensive that shit is? Just give me a box, duct tape, and a big chain and I'll make one," Richie promptly said.

Stan, who already had an exasperated expression before Richie could even finish talking, retorted at him, "Or you'll end up killing Duncan when your stupid handmade shitty cargo breaks instantly."

Agata, who couldn't imagine losing her dog, giggled. Stan could be so ironic and deadpanning sometimes, but as soon as she was able to recognize when he was being serious or not, it became funny.

Duncan however, wasn't as amused as his owner when he gave them a warning growl.

Instantly, Richie's eyes widened as he stared at the canine, "Whoa, I was just kidding! Don't go Cujo on me, boy!" as a peace offering, he threw the rest of what was left of his ham sandwich at the German Shepard, and a dog's stomach is never full as he quickly feasted on it.

Eddie laughed, "You should've seen your face, Rich!" he jeered as Bill and Agata shared a knowing look.

Richie squinted his eyes at him and flipped him off, making Eddie grin even more.

After they ate, and their clothes were dry, Agata made sure they didn't leave any trash behind before joining the group when they started heading out of the Barrens. With Duncan loyally walking by her side, the teens thought that ice cream was a good idea for the scorching weather.

Even though Agata was full, she still wanted that cold treat that Richie promised to get her.

* * *

**September 16th, 1988 – Friday**

Agata was glad she survived her first week at a new school.

She had her boys to thank for that.

Classes were done for today but she was waiting with Richie, Eddie, and Bill for Stan near his locker. It sucked that they weren't all in the same classes but at least she was never by herself.

Agata felt a little on edge every time she walked in the corridors without anyone by her side, the only thing she disliked about this school was the Bowers Gang lurking around. She already had Patrick Hockstetter in two of her classes and he purposely sat behind her. Agata tried to ignore the eerie feeling of his stare burning on the back of her head and the quiet taunts to not alert the teachers.

Agata was more scared of Patrick than Henry. And for good reasons.

She hasn't told anyone this but Patrick followed her into the toilets and Agata thought she was going to stay inside a cubicle that smelled like someone just had smoked in it for the whole fifteen-minute break, hearing him whistle a creepy tune right outside the door.

But, ironically enough, Greta Bowie unknowingly rescued her by yelling at him to 'fuck off' before entering the girls' toilet room. When inside she started going off about a girl named Beverly Marsh – and she even startled Agata when she kicked the cubicle's door she was currently hiding.

Luckily for her, when she left, Greta calmed down a bit after seeing that it was only Agata, and not the girl she a foully blabbering about to her two friends. Greta keenly told her that Patrick was gone, clearing the way for Agata to leave the room and find her friends as fast as possible.

Greta lived in the house in front of hers. But the two never actually met before the semester started. Agata didn't want to sound judgemental, especially when she heard Greta talk about this Beverly girl in an offensive manner, but she seemed like a typical mean girl. So Agata decided to stay away from her but also on a neutral side – because Greta was a bit scary and being bullied by her was something that Agata didn't want to add to her cart.

That all happened on her second day of school, but it already feels weeks have passed. Bill, Richie, Stan, and Eddie made her forget about the bad things because when they were all together she felt all of her anxiety drain from her body – they were her first real friends and she could've never asked for anything else.

But Agata didn't know that soon she would meet three more kids that would make the group even more complete.

And one of them was a pretty girl named Beverly Marsh, who just passed by her in the corridor.

* * *

**PS: I am so confused about why the Bowers Gang is in middle school. I genuinely tried to search for answers because I know they are around 15-16 years old so seeing them in middle school throws me out. I'm ignoring this plot hole because it's not mine to fix, but if you know the answer please tell me!**

**PPS: Don't forget to vote on my poll! Canon starts in the next chapter so hurry!**


	4. Eight Months Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was explained to me (and when I re-watched the movie it was confirmed as well) that the Bowers Gang appear in the same school as the Losers because Derry only had two schools: Elementary and High Schools. I guess a small town couldn't afford to have two schools.
> 
> Also, it seems that Richie won by four votes! So this is officially a RichiexOC story. But don't worry, I would never ignore his feelings for Eddie.
> 
> Trigger warning: Homophobic slurs.

**October 14th, 1988 – Friday**

Agata liked the rain, even though she preferred sunny weather.

She enjoyed watching it pour down heavily from the sky. Usually, she would pull a stool towards the only window inside the living room area from her New York apartment and sit there for hours, watching the city become drenched under the dark clouds pelting raindrops from above.

She also appreciated the feeling of being under it, either she was below her ladybug umbrella or not. Her mom would always scold her if she came home from school soaked from rainwater – but Agata hasn't been sick in two years, so she wasn't concerned about catching a cold.

Bill, however, wasn't as lucky. He had a severe cold.

He has been absent from school for an entire week now, and Agata was concerned for her friend.

As she walked home from school, under her ladybug umbrella that her mom was quick to remind to place it inside her backpack, Agata considered visiting the Denbrough home to check on her stuttering friend – and to also see little Georgie. She hasn't seen him since the Denbroughs invited her mom and her for dinner two weeks ago.

Agata knew her mom didn't have friends her age. So seeing her interact with Zach and Sharon Denbrough, Bill and Georgie's amicable parents, so well made her heart swell with hope. Agata knew what it was like to be alone, but now that she had four close friends in her life she dearly hoped that her mom could find at least someone her age to talk to.

And it was going well. Agata was now getting used to the telephone ringing after her mom came home from work, and hearing her laugh during her long conversations with Sharon always led Agata to think that maybe moving to Derry was a good idea.

Decisively, as she walked around the corner to Witcham Street, she crossed the road to the other side, wanting to stop by Bill's house to visit him.

Usually, she didn't walk home alone. Since Eddie and Bill lived near her they would give her a ride on the back of their rides and leave her near her house – but Bill was sick and Eddie's mom had picked him up from school because she didn't want him to get sick from the rain.

Stan's father picked him up as well but at least she had Richie to give her company until they reached his house, which was ten minutes away from hers. He hadn't been too keen on letting her walk home alone if she had Duncan with her the spectacled boy would've been more relieved – but Agata promised she'd be fine because everyone at school knew the Bowers Gang would usually hang out by Henry's place on Fridays.

Still, Agata had to convince Richie not to walk her home. She only had to promise to call his house as soon as she got home.

The rain flow seemed to be getting lighter as a few rays of sun peeked through the grey clouds when Agata arrived in front of the Denbrough's residence, but the mellow sky didn't match her expression when she saw a police cruiser parked on the curb in front of Bill's house. Agata felt an anxious pull on her stomach as she fastened her steps towards it, not caring if she wasn't correctly holding her umbrella.

As she stepped on the grass that Sharon liked to keep cut, she saw the front door being open from inside the house. Halting her steps, Agata recognized Oscar Bowers as he stepped outside the front porch. She noticed how tense he looked, but Agata has never seen the man smile or relaxed.

He noticed her as well, and as he stared another police officer that Agata didn't know walked out as well, standing with his back towards the streets as he seemed to be speaking with someone inside.

Sharon Denbrough was inconsolable, her sobbings could be heard from where Agata was standing and hearing the disheartening sounds coming from the usual cordial woman snapped Agata out of her weird staring contest with Henry's father. She had to remind herself that he wasn't like that psycho.

"Mrs. Denbrough?!" Agata yelled out through the raining as she marched towards the porch stairs, "Mrs. Denbrough, is everything okay?" she placed her hand on the porch rail as she walked upwards.

All heads turned towards the new voice, and Agata tried to ignore the nauseating bad feeling inside her chest.

"Agata!" Sharon bellowed at her, sounding terrified but hopeful at the same time. The two cops watched with apprehensive expressions as the pianist moved straight towards the girl, meeting her halfway, "Please tell me you saw Georgie nearby! Please, tell me you saw him!" she implored, grabbing the brunette by the shoulders to stare at her with sorrowful, teary eyes.

Agata was speechless first, but then, as she slowly realized why Bill's mom was asking her about Georgie in such a desperate manner, an alarmed expression crossed her face as her eyes widened at the older woman, "N-No I haven't seen him, what's going on?"

Sharon didn't answer, but her tormented expression told Agata what she needed to know.

Wordlessly, Agata gently pried Sharon's hands off her shoulders and passed by her, walking inside the Denbrough's with a frightened look on her face. If this was a regular day, the polite teen would request permission to enter the house, but nothing about this situation seemed normal.

Agata noticed that Bill's dad wasn't home, he was probably working, but she wasn't looking for him – she walked up the stairs straight towards Bill's room, avoiding looking into Georgie's, and she found her friend, sitting on his bed with a haunted expression.

His blue eyes were staring at the wooden floor of his bedroom, unblinkingly. Agata didn't know what to say as she stood on the doorway. He looked so lost and on the verge to cry – and Agata has never seen him like this.

"Bill?"

"He's gone."

His tone was final, and the brunette never heard him speak like that. His voice sounded hollow and stoic and Bill always carried emotion or lightness when he spoke and stuttered.

"He's gone. And it's all my fa-fault."

Agata remained quiet as she finally stepped inside the room, taking a seat next to him on his bed after placing her backpack in front of his nightstand.

She tried not to cry at what her friend was implying, but her lower-lip was already trembling as her blue eyes became watery, "Bill no way," she whispered fearfully.

"T-They found hi-his blood in the street g-gutter! W-Where that stupid bo-boat fell i-into!" Bill finally exploded, startling Agata as he turned to look at her with a dismayed look, "I let hi-him go a-alone! And now my-my little brother i-is missing!" his sudden explosion subdued when Bill realized Agata began crying.

And he followed soon after, finally letting go and letting his crawling guilt get to him.

And sick or not, Agata quickly hugged Bill as both sobbed together. She might've vomited right there at the overwhelming distress that took over her body but as Bill held her, she found herself keeping the bile down. For him. To comfort him. The boy who introduced her to friends that would mark her life forever.

Little Georgie was gone.

And Agata stopped liking rainy days ever since.

* * *

**June 1989 – Last Day of School**

When Agata turned thirteen years old back in February, she didn't feel like celebrating her birthday. But her friends still managed to buy her gifts and she still had a cake to share with the four of them. They spent the day watching movies and just try to maintain the mood as light as possible.

She loved the gifts that she received. Richie's anecdotes book, Eddie's red wallet with ladybugs sewed on it, Stan's dog plushie and Bill's portrait of her that he worked on for weeks as a distraction from Georgie. Her mom had gotten her a journal, but she only gave it to her when the boys left the small gathering. Her mom explained that after what happened, she thought it would be a healthy way for Agata to express her emotions.

She could write everything she wanted, and her mom promised that she would never read it.

But Agata had still yet to write on its pages.

Georgie was still missing, and it's been eight months since his mysterious disappearance.

And it's like his vanishing began a chain of chaos as other kids started to go missing as well.

Betty Ripson's missing posters were all over Derry a day after Christmas, and Agata was saddened because the two were starting to get along before Christmas vacation and Betty seemed friendly and nice. Then, tragically, three-year-old Matthew Clements was found dead on a constructed roadway in late April. The toddler's death enthused a strict curfew for children and adolescents around the town but to no avail, children were still going missing and the police of Derry had no leads.

But today, the students in Derry High School seemed not to care about the missing girl as they all celebrated their last day before the summer break.

Agata sighed as she placed her notebook and pencil case inside her backpack as the last bell ring for today echoed through the halls. She has Social Studies only with Stan while the others had Math together, but she wasn't complaining since the teacher let them do whatever they wanted.

Per usual, Stan waited for her to hurry by her desk with a patient smile – while he was quick to put his things away and Agata was always impressed at how eager her friend was to leave school.

"You're coming to my Bar Mitzvah, right?" he suddenly asked as he watched her rise from her seat.

"Of course!" Agata reassured him brightly as she placed her backpack around her body, "I promised, and besides, I've never been to one so I'm very curious to see what happens."

Stan smiled amusedly as he gave his curious friend a side glance, but then his expression shifted into a sour one, "I just hope I'll be ready by then."

"You will, you just need to be more confident," Agata easily stated, determined that Stan would succeed. They walked out of the classroom and Agata spotted her friends walking ahead of them.

"More confident" Stan mumbled to himself as he followed after Agata.

"Hi boys!" she greeted them mirthfully as she placed herself between Bill and Richie.

"Wait for us, guys!" Stan said as he squeezed himself between Eddie and Bill.

The group of five made their way down the corridor as they all spoke to each other, Richie grinning widely when Agata joined them, they shared a smile before looking at Bill when he spoke.

"Hey, Stan, what happens at a Bar Mitzvah, anyways? Ed says they slice the tip of your di-di-di-dick off," Bill wondered as Agata made a face of pure horror.

"They do what?!" she squealed, cheeks reddening as the group walked around a corner of the halls.

They all laughed at her expression whilst Stan rolled his eyes at Bill's inquire.

"Yeah, and I think the rabbi's gonna pull down your pants, turn to the crowd and say, 'Where's the beef?!'" Richie quipped following Bill's statement, making everyone amused except for Stan.

The curly-haired boy decided to quickly explain to his friends what truly happens, "At the Bar Mitzvah, I read from the Torah and then I make a speech and suddenly, I become a man," he explained as the group strode through the busy corridors.

"I could think of funner ways to become a man," Richie told them.

"Richie, you mean 'more fun'," Agata corrected her friend with a smile.

"Oh, shit," the trashmouth suddenly says and Agata's smile drops when she realizes why her friend's expression soured.

They were passing by the Bowers Gang, they were leaning against the wall right by the entrance of the school's staircase so there was no way of avoiding them. Agata simply reached for Richie's hand for comfort and stared at the dirty public school floor as they quickly passed by – Richie squeezed her hand in return.

She could feel Henry's glare on the back of her head, and she loathed how he made her feel just with a simple stare that she couldn't even see.

"Think they'll sign my yearbook?" Richie asked rhetorically with a dry tone, "'Dear Richie, sorry for taking a hot steamy dump in your backpack. Have a good summer!'."

Agata sighed, letting go of his hand as they approached the stairs. She gave him a thankful smile and he nodded, this action hidden from the rest of the group as they began descending the stairs.

That uncomfortable moment with the gang was forgotten by when she noticed Greta coming up the stairs towards them with an enraged expression. She watched as Greta bumped against Stan, prompting the boy almost to lose his balance as the passed between him and Bill.

"Wow! Are you all right?" Agata quickly asked him with a concerned tone.

Stan looked at her with an annoyed expression targeted towards Greta, but nonetheless, he managed to smile at Agata and nod.

Agata really disliked Greta now, she was a bully. Once when she excused herself to use the toiled, Agata witnessed Greta and her two friends talk trash about Beverly Marsh – again. From what Agata reckoned, she was jealous of this Marsh girl. She has seen her during lunchtime, sitting alone at a table with a lonely expression. And Agata almost wanted to join her if it wasn't for the fact that she was scared that Greta would start targetting her as well.

She already had to deal with Bowers and his lunatic friends.

But one day she hoped to be brave enough to approach Beverly because Agata knew what it was like to be alone.

* * *

Agata looked slightly distraught when the boys decided to dump the contents inside their backpacks inside a trash can next to the bicycle parking.

"I just don't understand why you guys have to throw good supplies away" she complained lightly, pouting as they all gave her wide, amused grins.

"Because it's funny!" Richie told her.

"And feels good," Eddie added, nodding.

"Best. Feeling. Ever!" Stan agreed with a grin.

"Yeah? Try tickling your pickle for the first time," Richie jested, smirking at him.

"Richie!" Agata squeaked, her cheeks reddening as usual at his dirty jokes. It wasn't like she wanted them to stop being themselves around her after all her mom warned about the negative and positive perks of having only boys for friends, but she couldn't help to feel embarrassed at the prosper of hearing sexual jokes and remarks from kids her age.

"Oops, sorry my sweet, innocent Aggie," he teased her, but Agata knew he wasn't sorry at all.

"Hey, what do you guys wanna do tomorrow?" Eddie questioned while putting his backpack on.

"I start my training," Richie stated as he adjusted his thick glasses.

"Wait, what training?" The shorter boy asked him as Agata gave Richie a puzzled look.

"Street Fighter."

Richie was really good at arcade games, during the last week of summer Agata started to go to Derry's Arcade and she watched him play for hours, and she'd always be amazed by his skills. He tried to teach her how to play Pacman but the game ended up becoming too stressful for her. She preferred puzzles. Watching Richie play was more fun than actually playing anyways. He would invent voices for the characters and when he was out of tokens, they'd have ice cream and eat it in Bassey Park, under the shade of a tree.

"Is that how you wanna spend your summer? Inside of an arcade?" Eddie deadpanned, giving him a dumbfounded smile.

Richie sighed, pretending to be affected by his jab, "Beats spending it inside of your mother," he retorted before quickly turning to Stan, raising his arm to high five him, "Oh!"

But Stan, exasperated, grabbed hold of it and pushed it downwards while Agata tried not to smile looking at a peeved looking Eddie biting on his finger while glaring at Richie.

"What if we go to the quarry?" Stan suggested as Richie laughed at his quip alone.

"Guys, we have the B-B-Ba-Barrens," Bill told the group with a serious expression.

Agata shifted her eyes towards her shoes but nodded nonetheless. Bill still looked for Georgie, even after the funeral with the bodiless grave he still hasn't given up on the idea that his little brother has been taken by the sewer's stream to the Barrens.

"Right," Stan said as Richie nodded, choosing the Barrens as well. It was obvious Georgie was a sensitive subject between the group, especially if Bill was present. But none of them dared to go against Bill whenever he suggested going to the Barrens. They were good friends.

Eddie was looking into the distance when he noticed someone that made him gloomy, "Betty Ripson's mom," he stated, making his friends look at the drop off area where a cruiser was parked by the curb with two officers in front of it, but with Janice Ripson ahead of them, looking out towards the school's entrance with an expectant expression.

Agata noticed the dark circles under her eyes and she frowned sadly at how exhausted and disheveled the mother looked. It was depressing.

"Is she really expecting to see her come out of that school?" Stan wondered out loud with a pitiful tone.

"I don't know. As if Betty Ripson's been hiding in Home Ec. for the last few weeks," Eddie realistically told him.

Agata looked at him with a somber expression, "She's hasn't, trust me."

"You think they'll actually find her?" Stan questioned the group.

"Sure," Richie began, and Agata hoped he wouldn't say something stupid, "In a ditch, all decomposed, covered in worms and maggots. Smelling like Eddie's mom's underwear," he quickly waved at Eddie for closure, and Agata saw Bill's expression shift into a defensive one.

"Shut up! That's freaking disgusting," Eddie chided him as he looked away with a disgusted expression.

"S-She's not dead, she's mi-mi-missing," Bill remarked.

Realizing he crossed the line a little, Richie instantly nodded as he looked at his friend, "Sorry Bill, she's missing," he corrected himself promptly.

When Bill started to walk away, Eddie and Richie shared a knowing look while Agata waited for Stan to catch up, "That was close," she mumbled to herself.

"You know, the Barrens aren't that bad. Who doesn't love splashing around in shitty water?" the quipper ironically said, swiftly changing the subject of their conversation.

Before Agata could say anything at his statement, her skin was filled with goosebumps when she noticed Henry Bowers appearing behind the tree next to them. She watched as the older teen grabbed Richie's backpack to yank him backwards in a violent way. That movement led Richie to bump into Stan – who was walking closely behind – and Agata gasped when both fell on the grass.

She froze right where she was standing as she watched Patrick grab Stan's Kippah that had fallen from his head during the fall, "Nice frisbee, flamer," he taunted, grasping it right in front of his face with a nasty smirk.

"Give it back!" Stan begged, reaching to try and pry it out of the bully's hand, but Patrick mercilessly chucked it away as if he was tossing a frisbee into a school bus that passed by them.

"Fucking losers!" he laughed maniacally.

The sound of Belch burping loudly right in front of Eddie's face made Agata look away and as Eddie gagged, Agata felt Patrick approach her from behind. She froze as she felt his tall body towering over her and the feeling of his breathing down her neck made the already trembling girl scurry away from the bully. Richie had already helped Stan up from the grass and when he urgently looked up to see if Agata was okay he saw the brunette already reaching him at a quick pace and instantly, Richie was already pulling her frame behind his back to shelter her.

The Losers knew that Agata was scared of the group of bullies, but they realized that her fear was so immense that she would freeze like a deer caught in the headlights. They tried to tell her that one day, she might need to run because they might not be around to help her – but she couldn't help it. It was stronger than her, to stay still and panic in their presence.

Agata felt Henry's eyes on her. Again. But to her relief, they all seemed to be just passing by towards his car.

And then Bill, outraged by how his friends were treated, opened his mouth after Henry continued walking after looking away from a fearfully Agata and purposely bumping shoulders with the stutterer after calling quietly calling him a 'loser'.

"You s-s-su-suck, Bowers!" he bravely insulted him.

"Oh no..." Agata whined as she watched Henry and his thugs halting their steps to give their leader an expectant look as they too watched Henry walk back, giving Bill an amused look.

"Shut up, Bill!" Eddie smartly hissed at him as Richie, Stan and Agata walked closer.

"You sa-sa-sa-sa-sa-say something, B-B-B-B-Billy?" Henry mocked as he exaggerated on the stuttering, nearing the younger boy with a provocative smile.

Agata saw a group of girls passing by behind the gang, and she noticed that even though they stopped walking to curiously look at them, the girl that was leading them inside the school quickly grabbed the arm of her friend and beckoned the rest of the girls to follow her – this is how much Henry's infamy was around the school. Students were scared to intervene every time he was having "fun", they didn't want the same thing happening to them, after all.

Agata didn't blame them. This was hell, but if she had to endure it to remain friends with these boys, then she would gladly take it over being alone again.

"You got a free ride this year, 'cause of your little brother. Ride's over Denbrough," Henry announced, now face-to-face with Bill. Just when Agata feared that Henry was going to hurt him, she saw him notice someone from the corner of his eyes.

When Agata followed his gaze, she remembered that his father was one of the officers with Janice Ripson, and the warning look he was sending his son was enough for Henry to lose his confident expression into a calmer, but still menacing one.

"This summer's gonna hurt a train for you and your faggot friends," he threatened before looking intently towards Agata, who cowered under his gaze, "See ya later, Ray," and after winking her way, he licked his palm and rubbed it all over Bill's cheek, making Belch and Patrick laugh as the three began walking away for good, towards Bowers' car, were Victor was grinning while waiting for his friends.

"The fuck you will," Agata heard Richie mutter under his breath when they were finally distant enough.

Agata stopped hiding behind him, standing next to the messy-haired boy as the group watched the gang drive off.

"I wish he'd go missing," Richie stated critically.

"He's probably the one doing it," Eddie added.

Agata didn't believe in that, but if in the end if it turned out that Henry and his thugs were the one behind the missing kids she wouldn't be surprised.

* * *

**Alexandra's POV**

Something was wrong with her house.

Alexandra had no idea why her daughter didn't make any questions about her screaming last night. The single mom was still on the edge about her chilling encounter.

_At exactly three in the morning, Alexandra woke up to the sound of footsteps thumping loudly outside her door, in the corridor. First, she thought Agata woke up to get a glass of water or to use the toilet, but after shaking off her sleepiness she realized that the stepping did not belong to a child._

_Alarmed – and reviving the memories of her apartment back in New York being broken into – Alexandra jolted from the comfort of her bed into mama bear mode and grabbed the baseball bat she had hidden behind her wardrobe. She dearly hoped Duncan was as alarmed as she was, but strangely, when she slowly opened the door of her bedroom and peeked into the hall – no barking was heard from the German Shepard._

_Alexandra instantly walked towards her daughter's bedroom, down the hall, and slowly opened the door to check up on her. To her relief, Agata was sleeping soundlessly with Duncan, unconcerned, sleeping by her feet in the twin bed._

_She was confused but calmed down a little when her dog remained passive. Maybe she heard it in her head? Or maybe she was dreaming about it?_

_When she was a child, living in the house with her grandfather, she would usually hear him walking around late in the night and eventually, Alexandra got used to it._

_Her logical side told her that perhaps it was just her reviving those memories._

_But that idea was thrown out of the window when she heard her name being called with his voice._

_"Alexandra, get your ass down here and make me a sandwich!"_

_She almost dropped her bat as she screamed. Because when she turned around, down in the hall and right in front of the stairs, was her grandfather. Glaring at her with hatred and with his usual scowl on his expression._

_"I knew it! You're just a good for nothing! You're a disrespectful little shit as well, aren't ya?!" he started walking towards her, slowly but very menacing, "I open my fucking doors and allow your ass to live here, and you can't even make me a fucking sandwich?!" he yelled thunderously, making Alexandra flinch._

_Part of her wanted to enter her daughter's room and lock the door, but even though fear was starting to overwhelm her, she was able to speak through her trembling voice, "You're dead, y-you can't be here! I'm dreaming, this is not real!" she readied the bat over her head, just in case, and then began taking steps back as the figure pretending to be her grandfather approached._

_Albert started to laugh, but this time Alexandra realized his voice has shifted into something inhumane, "You stupid girl. You think you got away, Alex? I got you back, and I missed ya sooooo much!"_

_Alexandra stopped breathing as her head began hurting at the familiar, taunting voice, "Y-You"_

_"I told you, Alex! I told you we were best friends forever! And all of my friends float! You – and your precious little girl that should have never existed – will float! They all will, Alex," It's voice was becoming more baritone the more it spoke, and It's growls grew louder and louder as Alexandra saw her grandfather deform himself into that fucking clown that has been plaguing her memories._

_"Stay away from Agata!" as the clown mentioned her daughter, Alexandra forgot all of her childhood fears – letting her motherly instincts take over at once as she hardened her eyes towards the creature, "You hear me?! STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM AGATA! I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU!" her screaming was getting more erratic and desperate and the clown seemed to have hated that._

_It made guttural sounds towards her and when It was close enough, Alexandra was sure It was about to pounce on her, so good thing she had her bat ready to swing._

_But then she felt something lick at her ankle and she let out a shriek no person nearing forty should._

_She looked back and noticed Duncan by her side, staring up at her with a curiously look in his dark, brown eyes. She was out of breath because of the adrenaline, so when she looked back to the hall and saw that the clown was gone, Alexandra dropped the bat and started crying quietly. Asking herself what just happened?_

_She decided to go downstairs and make tea to calm herself down – and as she drunk it by the island counter of the kitchen with Duncan, lying on her feet to make her company, Alexandra came up with a theory to what just happen._

_She was stressed._

But as morning came and she helped Agata prepare for her last day of school, (and remind her about the curfew and to come home with one of her friends), Alexandra started to think more clearly.

There is no way she imagined that encounter last night.

Because more memories of her as a child, running from a clown that promised friendship, came floating during the night and she was not able to sleep, paranoid that It might return.

But she felt like It was fucking with her because nothing else happened. She only lied in her, overwhelmed by the sudden memories storming her mind. It was if It had been the one controlling them.

_"We're best friends 'til the end, Alex!"_

Alexandra zoned out of her theories and thoughts to go back to work as her break ended, there is something wrong about Derry and she hoped her daughter was safe.


	5. A Smelly Way to Start Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's 5 AM and I have a massive headache right now, if there are grammatical mistakes then I'm sorry. I'll check this chapter again when I wake up. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this one and thank you so much for your support!

**Thirty Minutes Later**

**Agata's POV**

"Richie, slow down!" Agata squeaked as she grasped the back of his shirt, desperately clinging onto him as she tried not to slide down from the back of his speeding bicycle.

Richie laughed, "Feel that summer breeze, my sweet Aggie, feel that freedom!" He exclaimed happily as he pedaled his bicycle, but slowing it down a little bit at the same time for her consideration.

"The only thing I'll feel is the concrete on my face if you keep riding like this," she scolded him lightly as Richie rode around the corner to enter her street.

"I'll never allow that to happen, Aggie, you're safe with me!" Richie promised confidently.

His statement sent a jolt of thrill through Agata, and she wasn't fully aware of why.

It was Richie's turn to bring Agata home, and even though Agata told the boys how unnecessary it was for them to take turns – and that she could easily catch the school bus – they assured her that bringing her home it was something they wanted to do.

But when it was Richie's turn – it was completely different. Agata was always timid whenever she wrapped her arms around his torso before he started riding his bike but she enjoyed resting her head against his back and closing her eyes peacefully as Richie took her home. He didn't seem to mind it, he never shrugged her off.

For months now, and long after slightly recovering from the emotional damage from Georgie's disappearance, Agata began having amorous feelings towards Richie Tozier. From watching him speak to just staring at his unruly dark hair and his soulful eyes behind his thick glasses – to the way he could easily make her laugh. She laughed for the first time after Georgie when Richie showed up at her house with a VHS labeled as 'Beetlejuice'.

Alexandra allowed her daughter to watch the movie filled with dark humor and some violence with hopes to cheer her up. And as she prepared the two kids some peanut butter sandwiches while they watched it in the living room, hearing her daughter's laughter when she hasn't even smiled in weeks made it worthy – even when she ended up exposing her thirteen-year-old daughter to a movie not appropriate for her age.

Ever since they watched 'Beetlejuice', Agata saw Richie in a new light. She didn't understand why her cheeks would warm more than before whenever he quipped a dirty joke or when he grinned expectantly her way whenever he jested when the Losers were together.

This newfound feeling was making Agata feel as if she was trying to find the exit of an emotional labyrinth – and every dead-end was a new sentiment that was uncharted territory for the teen girl.

Agata has been gathering enough bravery to talk about what she was going through with her mom, but whenever the thirteen-year-old was about to walk up to her mom and start the conversation, she would always back off and regret it later.

She might not know what's she's going through right now, but Agata knows what anxiety is, and sometimes, when she was alone with Richie, she'd say embarrassing things to him and act differently. She was so ashamed of her actions that at night, Agata would scream into the pillow and wonder why did she even exist at all.

Of course, she was being dramatic, and Richie never seemed to be weirded out every time she would act differently towards him and not to the other boys.

When Agata started to recognize the houses that she always passed by to reach her own, she began talking over Richie's rambling that she didn't even realize he had started, "Richie, do you wanna come in and watch a movie?" she had to raise her voice a little since they were going a bit fast as the wind passed by.

"Hell yeah! Your mom has the best snacks and I finally wanna show you 'Back to the Future'!" he chirped at her with an excited tone.

When Agata told her friends she preferred reading than watching movies, they all looked at her like she had grown a second head.

They all vowed to show her their favorite blockbusters and even though they had to watch some of these movies in secrecy, Agata has seen 'E.T', 'Gremlins', 'Friday the 13th' (Agata had nightmares about this one), 'Aliens', 'The Terminator', 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' (in which Agata basically missed the best parts while hiding in Richie's arm), 'The Karate Kid' (in which Agata called Ralph Macchio cute and the boys teased her for days about it), 'Ghostbusters' (Agata found it silly since she didn't believe in ghosts), 'The Goonies' and when it was Agata's turn to pick a movie, she chose 'Sixteen Candles' which left the boys all groaning. But nevertheless, if she sat down for their movies they would watch the one she picked.

"Is it scary?" Agata asked Richie, smiling at the memories of them watching all those spooky movies in the dark, all huddled together with seemingly infinite snacks.

"No, but it's awesome! And there's gonna be a sequel this year! I can't wait for you to see this movie, you like reading about fantasy so I know you're going to like it!" he genuinely sounded excited as they finally reached the front lawn of her house. He got off od the bicycle first and extended his arm towards her with a small bow, "Madam?" he beckoned with an overstated courteous tone.

"Why, thank you, kind sir," Agata said with a similar voice, playing along. But when she grabbed hold of his warm hand, the brunette became too timid to continue humoring him, "Uhm, thanks for bringing me home," she sheepishly told him as she stood on the pavement.

Still holding her hand, Richie grinned, "Any time! I can be your driver whenever you want," he winked at her in a good-naturedly manner, and Agata shouldn't be feeling special, but when she decided to finally pull her hand from his to twirl her long hair, she began screaming internally at how silly she was acting again.

This is why she would usually scream in her pillow. Why couldn't she be herself around him anymore?!

Richie smiled widely at her as he began to turn his bicycle around, he could make it back to his house to retrieve the VHS in five minutes with it so he wanted to hurry back to her, "Okay so, I'm in the mood for sweets. Although having you around already makes my life–"

"Beep beep Richie" Agata softly said as she gave him a meaningful, cheeks warming by the second.

He laughed, out loud and jubilantly, "Whoa! I get it, I'll be on my way, just see if there are any sugary goods in your house, 'kay?" he got onto his bicycle again and began riding it back up the street, "Although having you in my life is the sweetest thing I could have!" he yelled cheekily when he had a safe and good distance away from the girl.

Agata watched his figure disappear as he circled the corner, and when she walked towards her house her cheeks began hurting from smiling too much.

Duncan's excited barking coming from inside the house made Agata hurry her steps to go greet her pet. She took off her backpack and turned it towards her so she could fetch her house keys from inside – but as she grabbed them Agata noticed a small, white blob moving from her peripheral vision.

Her blue eyes quickly looked towards it and to her delight, a cute looking white rabbit was stilled under the tree of her neighbor's front lawn. It wasn't very far away and even though Duncan kept barking for her attention, Agata decided to leave her backpack in front of her door and approach it.

She was grinning the whole time as she slowly stepped towards it, Agata loved rabbits so the last thing she wanted was to scare it away. Agata liked thinking about the odds of life – what were the odds of her moving from a big city to a small town? What were the odds of her realizing her feelings towards Richie before she left Derry? What were the odds of her returning twenty-seven years later?

What were the odds of that cute white rabbit to stand up on its two hind paws and start speaking while pulling a pocket watch from behind its back?

Well, it seems that the odds were huge on that one because Agata had to halt her steps to make sure her eyes were not deceiving her.

"Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!" the rabbit muttered urgently as it checked the time. The rabbit then looked at Agata and after blinking, it began to hop away, towards her house's backyard.

Ignoring Duncan's now more urgent barking coming from inside, and against all of her beliefs about not believing what she read on her fantasy books, Agata chased after it – both terrified and curious to what she just witnessed. Agata wondered if she had fallen from Richie's bike and hit her head on the concrete after all because only in a dream she would see a rabbit that was similar to the character from 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland's' book that she finished reading last summer.

It was her favorite book, after all, but surprisingly, Agata ended up having a strange nightmare of it.

When she arrived in her backyard, she jumped a little when Duncan suddenly started barking right on the other side of the back door – she could let him out, but the oddity of the situation made Agata carve for answers. So, when she looked around her yard, that required some care, she felt disappointment when the white rabbit seemed to have vanished out of thin air.

Then, from the small shed that her mom kept locket, a noise was heard that startled her.

"Oh dear! It seems that I got myself locked inside!"

Agata gasped, that was the rabbit's voice! She approached the shed quickly, and even though her logical side of the brain knew it was locket, her earning to see that rabbit again led her to childishly try to pry the doors open, and even when the chains attached to the big, rusty locker jiggled – reminded the brunette how impossible it was for her to open without a key – Agata frowned, trying again as if she was strong enough to rip the door open.

Sighing, and looking around to make sure no one was watching, Agata spoke, "Hello? Mr. Rabbit? Are you in there?"

Seconds passed by, and just when Agata called herself 'stupid' and turned to return to her house, a giggle was heard from inside the shed.

"Hello there! I thought I was alone!" the voice, Agata presumed to belong to the rabbit, greeted her with an overjoyed tone.

Intrigued, Agata decided to continue talking, "Hi uhm, you're inside my shed."

"Oh yes! Hehehehe, how silly of me! I was looking for the hole, but something nice smelled in here that I couldn't help but to check it out! And now – hehe – I'm stuck!" its happy tone changed into a nervous one, "But oh dear! Oh dear! I'll be late! The Queen will have my head!"

"Oh, right she likes doing that," Agata gulped, her hand unconsciously touching her neck. Dream or not, she felt pitiful towards the rabbit now.

"Yes indeed! And besides that, I'll be late for a tea party as well! Just like that red bull, who is always late because it keeps chasing itself!"

Both Agata and the rabbit began laughing at the little quip, she had to admit while Richie's jokes were funnier, this rabbit had a good sense of humor. When she stopped laughing, however, the rabbit continued – quite hysterically as well, throwing Agata completely off and even startling her a bit when it was not stopping.

"Mr. Rabbit, are you okay?" she asked as she rested her eat against the door. Momentarily, Agata heard him calm down as a throaty growl followed after the laughter.

"I'm fine dear, just a tad bit hungry – that's all," the rabbit replied with a low voice, "Curiouser and curiouser!" the rabbit suddenly cried, "Something does smell divine in here, m'dear!"

"What is it?" Agata inquired with a confused frown. It was just an old shed that probably smelled rusty.

"You!"

Abruptly, Agata was sent back when the doors violently opened in front of her – as Duncan's barks were suddenly more desperate now – Agata winced her body rolled on the dry, grassy patches and the dirt from the blunt force. When she recovered, Agata looked up towards the shed and her blue eyes widened at the nightmarish sight before her.

It was a clown – wearing a baggy silk suit of silver with orange pompoms and a collar ruff. It had a haunting white face and a bald head, with red hair on either side. Its mouth red clown smile widened predatorily as Its big, golden eyes pined Agata down.

Agata was now sure if she wasn't hearing Duncan's constant barking, she would be dreaming, "This doesn't make any sense!" she screamed fearfully.

The clown, grinned even more, "Why not, dearie? After all, you are talking to me! So, why can't this be real?" It asked mockingly.

"W-Who–What are you?!" Quickly standing up, Agata started taking steps back from the creature.

"My apologies! I'm Pennywise, the Dancing Clown! And I'm just so frightened of being late to the Queen's court but perhaps, you can help me, dear Alice!" It bowed to Agata, but all the movement did was trigger Agata's flight or fly.

"My name is not Alice..." Agata mumbled as she frowned.

The air suddenly dropped around the brunette, and when Pennywise raised Its body from the bowing, It no longer was smiling – but staring at Agata with a longing expression as droll started sliding down from the corner of It's mouth.

The sight was enough to make her queasy.

"Time to float, m'dear Agata! But not to worry, your fugitive mommy will be next!"

Before Agata could exhale, Penny pounced towards her – instigating her to instantly run away from her fight or flight response. As Duncan barked, Agata screamed as loud as she could – because her mom taught her to always yell if she's ever being taken by a stranger – as the teen ran through her backyard, around the house again, towards the road. She desperately hoped for a car passing by, and even though she wanted to look back, every instinct in her core was telling her to keep going forward.

And when she was about to reach for the road, Agata did what she considered as a "cliché tripping trope from horror movies" as her foot got trapped in a hole, and landed face-first on the tar. She felt the wind being knocked out of her chest, but the adrenaline made her look back from where Pennywise had been chasing her.

It was gone.

Breathing heavily as her heartbeat dangerously fast, Agata stayed on the road for a few seconds, afraid to move. It wasn't until she could hear Duncan's barking again that she snapped out of her frightened state. And as she did, she began feeling her skin sting from the palm of her hands, chin, and knees – and as she looked over at her injuries, she notices that they were all skinned, bleeding and covered with dirt.

Agata was so terrorized and confused about what just happened to her that when a car honked right next to her, she let out a pitched scream and scrambled to her knees to crawl towards the pavement.

"Get out of the road you damn kid!" a man barked at her as drove by her trembling figure.

Agata didn't even look at him to apologize, her widened eyes just stared at her house and she paled when she noticed something on her porch's rail.

There was a red balloon tied to it.

* * *

**Fifteen Minutes Later**

Duncan whined as he rested his head on Agata's lap.

She was now inside her house, sitting on the couch of her living room with the television on to create background noise. As Agata petted Duncan, bringing her comfort, she eyed her front door intently and expectantly. Her skinned injuries still burned a little, but she at least she had used a cloth to wash them all with water, but the more they kept stinging the more Agata realized that she dreadfully didn't imagine her encounter with that demonic clown.

She now pondered the following: to tell or not to tell her mom – and Richie, who would be here any second now, she hoped.

Being alone was the last thing Agata wanted right now, and even though she had Duncan, she needed a human near her.

They would call her insane and her mom would scold at her for thinking she was lying. Agata knew that someone in their right mind wouldn't believe a kid that would cry that a child-eating clown chased after them. It was just too absurd!

Then why did that just happened?!

A lot of questions were racing through her mind.

Was the Boogeyman real?

Was Santa Claus real?

Fairies? Unicorns? Elfs? Goblins? Ghosts?!

Hell, she has watched so many horror movies with her boys that Agata suddenly felt like crying if every monster she saw on those films were real.

Agata did end up crying for a few minutes before Duncan was able to calm her down. It seems that her dog tried to warn her before, and even though he couldn't help her Agata had a feeling that Duncan sensed Pennywise before It had revealed Itself to her.

She felt stupid, too. To chase after a talking rabbit and converse with a stranger.

But at the same time, her restless mind began working on a theory: Pennywise knew that she had read 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'. Why did It choose the White Rabbit form, then? Agata shuddered at the thought of being watched by It, and that was enough to make her look around the room in a paranoid manner.

But Duncan's passive nature at the moment relaxed her a bit, maybe It was gone.

But then, when Duncan began barking again she was on high alert, eyes widening as she looked around the room while rising to her feet. With a frightened expression, Agata's eyes followed Duncan as the loyal dog made his way towards the front door, and seconds later, a knock imitating 'Shave and a Haircut' was heard and Agata instantly knew Richie was the one on the other side.

She walked up to her foyer and swung the door open quickly, and she seemed to have interrupted a banter between Richie and Eddie, who were glaring at each other and trying to pry the VHS from each other's hands – although Agata noticed that Richie smirked as Eddie glared at him – when the two landed their eyes on their friend, both boys immediately widened their eyes.

"Holy shit! Aggie, what the hell happened to you?!" Richie exclaimed as he let himself in, his dark eyes were staring at her skinned chin with concern while Eddie, who walked inside as well, pointed at her exposed knees.

"Fuck! Have you disinfected that?!" the shorter boy inquired urgently as Duncan sniffed his shoes curiously.

Agata had no idea why Eddie was here, but she was so happy to see him, "I" she paused, taking in their anxious faces, and Agata wilted under their eyes. What could she tell them? That she was attacked by a white rabbit that changed into a demonic clown? "I tripped while playing with Duncan," she explained coyly.

Richie and Eddie both shared incredulous looks.

"Are you kidding me?" Richie deadpanned skeptically.

"Uh, yeah Agata, that doesn't sound right. You're not usually clumsy," Eddie sais, looking confused and cringing when he finally noticed her skinned skin on the palm of her hands, "Jesus fuck – did you disinfected that?" he repeated himself, sounding a little frantic.

Seeing the opportunity to change the subject, Agata shook her head towards Eddie – ignoring Richie's stare – and waved her arm towards the hall behind her, "I washed it with a cloth–"

Eddie immediately spluttered, "Water won't kill the germs!" he unzipped his red fanny pack and from it, he grabbed an antibiotic cream and a band-aid.

No one was surprised to see Eddie prepared for something like this after all his fanny pack was equipped with a lot of medical supplies. Ignoring Richie's questioning stare, Agata ignored how unusually quiet he was when the three moved to the living room, with Duncan trailing right behind them, for Eddie to start treating Agata's wounds properly.

She was sitting down on the couch while Richie took the seat next to her – and Duncan rested his head comfortably on the boy's laps as he received pets – and while Eddie kneeled in front of her, opening the cap of the cream.

But when Eddie realized he was face to face to Agata's legs, and even though the skirt she was using was hovering above her knees allowing Agata's underwear to remain hidden, the dark-haired boy's cheeks began to darken as he cleaned his throat while giving Agata an anxious look.

She smiled and nodded at him, giving Eddie the consent. And when he started applying the cream on her wound, she winced a little at the mild stinging started to begin.

Richie cooed teasingly as he smirked at Eddie, "That's right Eds, rub it reeaaal slowly."

"Shut the fuck up and don't call me that!" the hypochondriac shrieked, his cheeks reddening even more after Richie's input.

Agata managed to giggle at them, even though she should feel at least bashful, Eddie was like a brother to her and he was always cleaning up wounds because sometimes the boys would fall from their bikes or Bowers would get them alone.

And even though Richie didn't pressure her to tell him what truly happened, Agata knew that he would bring it up one day when she least expected. But for the rest of the afternoon, after Eddie expertly cleaned up her wounds, (and ignored Agata's sulky face when he had to place a band-aid on her chin), Richie finally told her that he had invited Eddie along because he hasn't watched 'Back to the Future' as well – and Agata didn't mind it a bit.

She even seemed to have calmed down as the three enjoyed their little movie session. With her sitting between the two and Duncan lying under their feet, Agata felt safe. But when Richie's fingers slowly touched her hand that had been resting against her thigh, beckoning her to hold his hand, Agata felt as if her encounter with that stupid clown never happened as she linked her hands with his.

* * *

**Next Day**

Since she thought they were going to the Barrens, Agata chose to wear her high waist, button front denim shorts and a simple lavender t-shirt tucked inside the shorts paired with her ragged white sneakers. And per usual, with her silver chain was always around her neck.

But now that Bill told them they were going to the sewer, Agata was a little anxious about dirtying her only sneakers that were already on their last days.

Yesterday, when Alexandra came home from work and saw the band-airs on her daughter, she was quickly worried over Agata. Richie and Eddie had gone home by then so Agata easily told her mom that she tripped on a root in the backyard and fell on the ground face-first – even adding a small chuckle as if she was making fun of her sudden clumsiness.

Agata, after having a soundless and peaceful night while sleeping, decided to not tell her mom about the clash she had yesterday. She just didn't want to stress her mom even further with a story that sounded insane. Her mom was already anxious about wanting to ask for a raise at the diner so Agata backed off and cleaned out all of the worries and fussing her mom could've given her if she decided to go with the true story route.

And now she was at Eddie's, sitting at the small, round kitchen table as she watched Bill and Richie open his cabinets to fill Bill's backpack with snacks.

"Take everything but the Delicious Deals, guys. My mom loves them," Eddie warned as Bill and Richie began grabbing anything their hands could land on. Agata sighed as she rested her head against her hand before Eddie spoke again, directly to Bill, "Hey! First you said the Barrens, and now you're saying the sewer. I mean, what if we get caught?" he pointed out as he leaned against the sink.

"We won't, Eds. The sewers are pu-public works," Bill assured as Richie passed by a scowling Eddie, towards the cabinets behind the smaller boy, "W-We're the public, aren't we?"

Agata watched as Richie opened the cabinet to reveal a cluster of pill bottles. Her eyes widened at the amount that they were as Richie turned around to give Eddie a playful grin.

"Hey, Eddie? Are these your birth control pills?" the trashmouth asked as he turned to look at the small pharmacy Mrs. Kasprack was apparently running on her kitchen.

Eddie gave him a tired look before he walked forward to shut the cabinet's door closed, "Yeah, and I'm saving it for your sister," he retorted quickly, "This is private stuff!"

Agata rolled her eyes as she stood from her chair, "Do you guys even know what birth control pills are?" she asked, playfully smiling as both boys paled at her question.

Although they were used to having a girl in their group, sometimes their immature perspective about the female world would come back around and bite them right in their ass.

Bill was smiling amusedly as both Richie and Eddie stared at her with a terrified expression. But she decided to be merciful and shrug before making her way towards Bill, who was grinning her way.

"Bill, don't forget to pack some water bottles. My mom wants us to stay hydrated," she told him innocently.

Richie and Eddie visibly relaxed behind her, relieved that she didn't continue.

The four then headed out of the kitchen, Bill leading them as Agata walked behind him, pacing quickly towards the front door as the show on the television sounded in the background. But as Bill opened the door, a questioning voice came from the living room.

"Eddie Bear, where are guys off to in such a rush?" Sonia Kaspbrack asked from her lazy chair as she painted her nails.

Agata decided to remain hidden behind Bill and Richie. She didn't like Eddie's mom, and even though she was always polite to Mrs. Kaspbrack, Agata avoided looking at and talking to the widowed as much as possible. There was something about the overweight woman that ticked Agata wrong, from the way she gave Agata the stink eye to the way she controlled her son or fussed too much over him.

"Um," Bill began, looking away as he thought about an excuse. There was no way they could tell Mrs. Kaspbrack that they were taking her precious Eddie to the sewer, she would've never let him go, "Ju-Just my backyard, Mrs. K. I got a new..." he trailed off, and Agata could feel the leader of their group trying to come up with an excuse.

She decided to help him, "A new croquet set!" Agata supplied quickly.

"Jeez, spit it out, B-Bill!" Richie added, convincing Eddie's mom further.

"Okay," Sonia drawled suspiciously. And Agata tried to smile as she felt her squinted eyes her glaring at her, "Oh and sweetie," her gaze softened as she addressed her son, "Don't go rolling around on the grass. Especially if it's just been cut. You know how bad your allergies can get," Agata frowned at the pointed look Mrs. Kaspbrak gave her son.

It looked so controlling.

"Yes, mom," Eddie told her before started to head out with everyone else doing the same, "Let's go," he hurried.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Sonia called out, halting them by the door.

Agata smiled sympathetically when Eddie sighed. He walked up to his mom and kissed her cheek and as soon as he did, Richie laughed and started hitting Bill's arm as if he hadn't witnessed it either. Agata quickly hushed him, sending him a warning look but the boy grinned even more as Eddie returned to them with an annoyed expression.

"Do you want one from me too, Mrs. K?" Richie asked the woman jocularly.

Agata quickly stepped outside with Bill as Eddie quickly pushed Richie out of the door. He was laughing while Eddie stayed behind to spare his mom one last look.

"Sorry, mommy!" Eddie closed the door and quickly attacked Richie with a punch on his arm, "You fucking idiot!"

Agata shared a look with Bill before she heard Duncan bark at her from the front yard. She felt bad for leaving him tied to the mailbox but Eddie's mom forbade Duncan from entering her house – it was lucky enough she let Eddie near him.

As Richie and Eddie bickered while they followed Agata to fetch him, Duncan instantly started licking Agata's hands as she patted his head. Bill helped her by untying his leash and handing it to her, and she smiled thankfully as Eddie, who stopped throwing insults at Richie, softly patted Duncan on his head as well.

"Sorry about my mom not letting Duncan in," he told Agata gloomily.

She shrugged, giving him a comforting smile, "It's okay, I understand."

But truly, Agata was still too young to understand Sonia Kaspbrack's actions.

* * *

**Twenty Minutes Later**

"That's poison ivy. And that's poison ivy. And that's poison ivy," Stan stated as he pointed at random tree branches above the group.

"Where? Where's the poison ivy?" Eddie asked him anxiously.

"Nowhere. Not every fucking plant is poison ivy, Stanley!" Richie told the two with an annoyed expression as he grabbed a long stick.

Agata hopped on top of a rock and looked at them, "Richie's right, you know?"

Stan shrugged carelessly, "I'm just saying. Don't come at me if you get itchy skin."

They were now at the entrance of the sewer, it was covered with overgrown vines and the sewage gas smelled so bad that Agata scrunched her nose with disgust – but that didn't stop Bill and Richie from going inside the dark, damp tunnel. She stayed behind as Duncan sniffed the surroundings but she made sure he didn't wander off too far away.

"Okay, I'm starting to get itchy now," Eddie complained as he scratched his left wrist, "and I'm pretty sure this is not good for my–"

"No you're not, it's in your head," Agata quickly assured, "Trust me, you're fine," her blue eyes stared at his worried brown ones as he nodded.

"Do you use the same bathroom as your mother?" Richie suddenly asked Eddie.

He was taken back before he responded, "Sometimes, yeah."

"Then you probably have crabs."

Agata sighed, but then a dead rat floating nearby made her squeak and take a step towards Stan, who was busy looking around the tunnel with critical eyes, wishing he wasn't here.

"That's so not funny!" Eddie exclaimed.

Bill and Richie kept walking further inside whilst Eddie, Stan and Agata remained back at the entrance, the three had an unsure and disgusted expression on their faces and the more Agata scanned the tunnel and smelled the odor that the water coming out from the sewer was transmitting the more she wanted to join Duncan outside in the stream.

Agata saw Richie slowly look back at them, looking expectant, "Aren't you guys coming in?"

Agata watched as Bill walked deeper in the long, cavernous sewer pipe, which extended into pitch darkness. Beyond it though, Agata could get a sense of something lurking, something waiting. She shook it off and decided to not look into the darkness anymore.

Eddie shook his head as he pointed at the water Richie was standing on, "Uh-uh, that's greywater."

Richie rolled his eyes, "What the hell's greywater?!" he asked.

"It's basically" Agata watched as Eddie pause as he slightly gagged, "piss and shit. So I'm just telling you, you guys are splashing around in millions of gallons of Derry pee. So..."

"Ew. That explains the smell, sorry, there's no way I'm going in there," Agata declared promptly, her nose scrunched up with disgust clear on her face.

Richie dipped his branch in the water and brought the tip to his nose for him to sniff.

"A-Are you serious?" Eddie asked him exasperatedly.

"Doesn't smell like caca to me, señor!" Richie told him, making Agata smile at one of his many cartoonish voices.

Eddie however, wasn't as amused as she was, "O-Okay, I can smell that from here!"

"It's probably just your breath wafting back into your mouth," Richie snarked at him.

Agata started to bite the bottom of her lip to repress the amused smile threatening to show.

"Have you ever heard of a staph infection?!" Eddie yelled at him, his exclaim echoing through the tunnel.

"Oh, I'll show you a staff infection!" Richie retorted challenging, pointing his branch at the smaller boy.

"This is so unsanitary. You're literally–" Agata grinned when she saw Stan roll his eyes at the bickering when she glanced at him, "–This is literally like swimming inside of a toilet bowl right now!" Eddie continued rambling anxiously, and Agata sometimes was still impressed at how fast he could speak, "Have you ever heard of Listeria?"

Agata's eyes widened when she noticed Richie picking up a random, abandon shirt from the water with his branch. She carefully stepped back in time as Richie tossed the wet and dirty piece of clothing at Eddie – making him scream with panic while dodging it.

"Richie! That's disgusting!" Agata scolded him lightly as Eddie nodded with an irritated frown.

"Are you retarded?! You're the reason why we're in this position right now!" He complained.

It was Agata's turn to frown at him, "Eddie! Don't use that foul word choice!" she reprimanded him. Saying swears and dropping f-bombs was something, but using words that crossed the line of becoming too offensive made Agata instantly sort things right by rebuking it. And even though she felt like a nagger when she did it, the boys would learn to avoid going too far when she was around.

"Sorry Agata," Eddie meekly said, giving her an apologetic look, "But Richie started it!"

"Guys!"

They all quickly shut up to look at Bill, who was looking at them with a serious expression while his torch pointed at a sneaker he had fished from the muck.

"Shit," Stan began as his voice cracked, "Don't tell me that's–"

"No Ge-Ge-Georgie wore galoshes," Bill stated as he walked up to Richie, who met him halfway.

He held his torch upwards, to flash it better inside the shoe, and nodded at Richie for him to take a look inside.

"Whose sneaker is it?" Agata asked apprehensively. Afraid of the answer.

Richie hesitated, knowing that the answer might affect Agata more than it would to them, "It's Betty Ripsom's" he grimly told her.

Agata gasped, covering her mouth as her stomach churned unpleasantly – everyone looked concerned about her at once. They knew that Agata was starting to get along with Betty before her disappearance last year and even though the two didn't hang out after school, Betty was nice towards Agata so the boys had hoped the two could've been closer friends.

"Oh shit. Oh God, of fuck!" Eddie started whining, fearfully.

"No way..." she whispered, trying not to cry.

Eddie hesitated before putting his hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry Agata..." he softly comforted her, implying that Betty was dead.

She didn't want to believe it, Betty was too young to die. But as she thought more clearly, this was the disturbing reality of the world: children could die. They do die every day. And there was nothing she could do about it.

Agata couldn't help but to sob a little, "W-We should tell the police."

"The police?! I don't like this!" Eddie quickly exclaimed, taking his hand off her shoulder to look around in a panicking manner.

It seems that Richie thought it was a good time to joke around, "How do you think Betty feels? Running around these tunnels with only one frickin' shoe?" he laughed as he hopped on one leg.

Everyone looked at him, simultaneous having the same thought: _Did he really just say that?_

"Beep beep, Richie!" Agata chided, uncharacteristically upset. Even her feelings towards the boy and adoration for his quips didn't blind her to the fact that his joke was distasteful and uncalled for.

Richie quickly lost his smile when he realized that the public didn't receive his joke the way he intended so he stopped hopping and tried to ignore the unpleasant emotions of having his Aggie be irked towards him.

"What if she's still here?" Stan keenly asked, cutting the tense silence that Richie previously caused.

They all lock eyes with each other and seconds later, Bill and Richie turn around to walk further into the dark tunnel with Stan's pondering in their heads.

"Eddie, come on!" Richie called, not wanting to force Agata to enter the sewer after the emotional blown of finding Betty's shoe really got to her.

Eddie looked back, watching Duncan dig a hole near the small river while pondering if he should just leave, "My mom will have an aneurysm if she finds out that we're playing down here! I'm serious!"

"You consider this playing?" Agata mumbled as she decided to look around for a long branch as well on woods soil.

"Bill?" Richie looked at the leader for what to do next.

Bill, who Agata thought has been uncommonly quiet, spoke up, "If-If I was Betty Ripsom, I would want us to find me. Ge-Ge-Georgie too."

They all absorbed his words, and Agata sighed as she hugged herself.

"What if I don't want to find them?" Eddie stated, surprising the group as they all looked at him, "I mean, no offense, Bill, but I don't want to end up like" he trailed off, not finishing his sentence, but they all knew what whose name he was thinking, "I don't wanna go missing either."

"He has a point," Stan spoke up, and Agata wasn't surprised he was agreeing with Eddie.

And if she was being honest with herself, she thought the same thing. After her encounter with the clown yesterday, the last thing Agata wanted was to walk inside a dark tunnel to search for a person.

"Y-You too?" Bill asked hurtfully, then, he looked at Agata with a hopeful expression, "Aggie?"

She felt their eyes staring directly at her, but she didn't falter as she gave Bill a sad frown, "Sorry Bill..."

Even Richie looked disappointed.

"Of course she won't either! It's summer!" Stan cried, "We're supposed to be having fun! This isn't fun" he said as Richie shrugged at Bill, "This is scary and disgusting."

The tense mood was interrupted when Duncan started to suddenly bark behind them, and as Agata turned around to see what was stressing her dog a sudden figure showed up, splashing on the water loudly and startling the group as they all silently watched a chubby boy, barely standing and looking at them, beaten and bloodied.

As Duncan approached him, the boy got so scared to be attacked by the dog that he quickly stood up again – only to collapse as his legs gave out soon after. It was clear that he has been running for a long time now. But Duncan wasn't aggressive that easily, so when he sniffed the boy's scent and sensed no danger from him whilst Richie and Bill made their way out of the tunnel, he started barking at them to come to help him out.

"Holy shit! What happened to you?!" Richie exclaimed as Agata decisively made her way to the chubby boy.

"Oh my God! Don't move, stay there!" Agata quickly advised him as she felt the water wetting her socks when she stepped inside of the river, "It's okay, he doesn't bite," she calmed him down, "Guys! A little help?!" she looked back at the boys, giving them a look as she tried to help him up.

Eddie and Stan were quick to obey as Richie and Bill began preparing their bikes for them to leave and help out the bruised kid.

* * *

**Don't forget to leave a review, they make my day!**


	6. Ben Hanscom Tells a Scary Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not uploading in a while. Hope you like this chapter!

Agata knew Henry Bowers was ruthless, but to actually try to carve his name on Ben's belly with a real knife? That was psychopathic.

As she, Duncan, and Richie waited in the Richards Alley, next to the Center Street Drugstore and she tried not to squirm at the sight of the blood tainting his shirt. Duncan had been friendly enough to sit next to Ben as the overweight boy patted his head with a smile. It seems that Ben liked dogs.

"So, you said your name was Ben, right?" she began, clearing her throat and getting the attention of both boys.

"Yeah," the chubby boy smiled amicably. Agata liked that.

"I'm Agata, and this is Richie and that," she pointed at her loyal pet, "Is Duncan."

The German Shepard barked in response, making Ben grin.

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance," Richie said in a terrible British voice.

But Agata ended up giggling anyway because that's what Richie did—he made her laugh.

When Eddie and Stan returned—with supplies that Agata suspiciously thought they couldn't afford—Eddie immediately began working on Ben's gash. Ben seemed to be a little sheepish to show his belly full of rolls in front of Agata and when she noticed that, she turned her back and moved to stand close to Stan, who glanced at her with an odd expression before focusing on Eddie's treatment again.

"Just suck the wound!" Richie told Eddie.

"I need to focus right now," Eddie snarked at him.

"You need to focus?" the trashmouth repeated.

"Yeah, can you go get me something?"

"Jesus, what do you need?!" Richie asked nervously as he saw all the blood from the bandage Eddie was trying to apply.

"Go get my bifocals. I hid 'em in my second fanny pack."

"Why do you have two fanny packs?" Stan asked, surprised.

"I need to focus right now, and it's a long story," Eddie replied.

"Where's Bill?" she asked, looking behind towards the alley's exit, "Why is he standing there?"

Stan shrugged, "Probably waiting for Beverly Marsh," he mumbled.

On cue, she watched as a girl that she recognized as Beverly walk up to Bill, his expression as if he was caught by a syren's song. Seeing the two walk down the alley, Agata quickly averted her eyes back to Ben's wound and cringed when Eddie applied some antibiotic ointment and Ben's face scrunched up with mild pain.

"Oh God, he's bleeding, oh my God!" Stan exclaimed.

"You have to suck the wound before you apply the Band-Aids! This is 101!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Are you okay?" everyone heard Beverly ask, "That looks like it hurts."

Duncan approached the new person, smelling Beverly to see what scent she gave. The redhead didn't move as he continued smelling her, and when she was approved, Duncan sat next to her and licked her hand, making her giggle.

Ben shook his head, smiling nervously when he noticed her, "Oh. No, I'm good. I just fell."

"Yeah, right into Henry Bowers," Richie commented dryly.

"Beep beep Richie," Agata sighed and Bill gave him a look.

"Why?! It's the truth!"

"You sure they got the right stuff to fix you up?" Beverly asked Ben with a gentle smile, and Agata didn't miss the way the chubby boy blushed under it.

"Y-You know, w-w-we'll take care of him. Uh, t-thanks again, Beverly," Bill told her warmly.

"Sure, maybe I'll see you around," she said as she properly patted Duncan in the head this time.

Agata, who decided that this might be the opportunity to make a new friend, spoke up before she could leave, "We're going to the quarry tomorrow!" at her sudden outburst, she felt the boys give her a surprised look, "If you wanna come and swim with us, show up!" the blue-eyed girl offered with a kind, but shy smile.

Beverly, who wasn't used to having girls her age treating her nicely, was stunned for a moment before smiling back, "Good to know. Thanks!" and with that, the group of six losers watched her walk away after she waved goodbye.

Agata waved back, smiling eagerly before giving Richie an upset look.

"Nice going bringing up Bowers in front of her!" she scolded him.

"Yeah, Richie, you know what happened," Stan added, shaking his head at his friend.

"Yeah, dude, you heard what she did," Eddie whispered as if he was scared Beverly might still hear him.

Agata rolled her eyes, "They're just stupid rumors! I bet they're not even true!"

"What'd she do?" Ben asked innocently.

"More like 'Who'd she do?'. From what I hear the list is longer than my wang," Richie joked as he grinned at Eddie—who looked away, disgusted.

Agata seemed to be done with him as well, she sometimes wondered why did she have to crush on Richie of all the boys. But then he remembered how he acted when it was just the two of them, and that was enough.

"That's not saying much," Stan stated, giving a small eye roll.

"L-Like Agata said, t-t-t-they're jus-just rumors," Bill said with a final tone.

Richie shrugged, "Anyway, Bill had her back in third grade," he told Ben, who looked at Bill thoughtfully, "They kissed in the school play! The reviews say you can't fake that sort of passion!"

Stan gave Bill a knowing smirk as Bill looked away, blushing.

Agata was happy to know another thing about her friends. They've known each other for almost a year now but every day she tried to learn more about their past, because these boys have known each other since third grade, and she was the most recent member of their group. So Agata always enjoyed every little information they slipped out.

"Now pip-pip, and tally-ho, my good fellows and fair lady! I do believe this chap requires our utmost attention!" Richie exclaimed, bringing back his bad English accent. He looked at Eddie and pushed him down, towards Ben, "Get in there, Dr. K! Come on, fix him up!"

"Why don't you shut the fuck up, Einstein, because I know what I'm doing and I don't want you doing the British guy on me right now," Eddie snapped at him, speaking quickly as always.

"Suck the wound!" Richie interrupted him, "Get in there!"

Agata chuckled, covering her mouth quickly as Eddie gave her a look of betrayal. She couldn't help it, she really couldn't help but laugh at his jokes.

* * *

**7:22 PM**

Being Summer, the days prolonged longer so when Richie dropped Agata and Duncan off in her house it was still daylighted out. She bravely gave him a peck on the cheek as thanks and he left doing a wheelie on his bicycle.

Agata was always anxious about being home alone ever since her encounter with Pennywise, but she tried not to think about it as she quickly locked the door and put on the 'The Great Mouse Detective' VHS to pass time until her mom comes home just ten minutes after eight. So if she focused on the animated, bright movie until there she'd be fine.

So she grabbed an apple Fruit Roll-Up and ate it slowly to still have enough hunger for dinner and to cool her body down from the summer heat outside. Duncan remained near her, lying on the carpet under her feet, and his calmness relaxed Agata enough to actually pay attention to the movie she had seen many times before, but that never ceased to love.

By the time the movie was at its final climax, Duncan alerted Agata that someone was approaching her door and seconds later, she heard the familiar keys unlocking the door and saw her mom walking in, still dressed with her uniform and long hair on a messy bun, but with a smile on her face when Agata ran to the foyer to greet her.

Dinner was instant mac and cheese, but at least Alexandra made up for dessert when she brought home half of the banana split she didn't eat for Agata. It was delicious, and dinner ended up with them sitting on the couch, watching an episode of 'Full House' before it was time for Agata to go brush her teeth and get ready to sleep.

Nearing eleven, Alexandra tucked Agata in and kissed her forehead while Duncan took his spot at the end of the thirteen-year-old bed. Alexandra patted her loyal dog on his head as bid the two a good night's sleep before she returned to the living room, where the television was now a background noise as she washed the dishes.

Since Agata told her mom she was going to swim down in the quarry with the boys tomorrow, Alexandra returned to her daughter's room—who was now soundly sleeping—and placed her favorite one-piece swimsuit on her vanity desk. Alexandra smiled fondly at it. It was a simple baby blue suit with white polka dots but Alexandra remembered the days when they went to the beach during summer just two years ago.

Time passes faster.

It was nearing one in the morning when Alexandra finally went to sleep, this time there were no steps outside her door. And to this day, Alexandra has been forcefully ignoring what she witnessed the other night. Her daughter was safe, and she was going to swim with her friends tomorrow. Everything was fine.

* * *

**The next day**

Duncan stayed home.

Since it was her mom's day off, he stayed there with her. Agata thought it wouldn't be a good idea to bring Duncan to the quarry because (she didn't tell her mom this part) she and the losers were supposed to jump off a very high cliff. And it all seemed too dangerous for a dog to be around.

But, as she stood at the edge with four of her close friends and the new member to be affiliated to their group, Ben Hanscom, it was doubtful that any of them genuinely wanted to jump at this point.

When Agata arrived at the cliff, she was a little self-conscious when she stripped down her mustard-colored baby doll dress and white Capri leggings and at least the boys seemed to be have been shy enough to look away when she joined them by the edge wearing her one-piece swimsuit—except for Richie, he always stared—but Agata had been terrified when she realized they were on their tighty withies.

She was too embarrassed to even comment on that.

When the awkwardness was cast aside, Agata watched as the boys held a contest to who could spit out the furthest into the green, dirty water below where they were supposed to swim.

First Richie, then Stan, Bill, Ben, and then they all looked at Agata with an expectant look, she shook her head and motioned Eddie to spit.

"This is gonna be easy," the smaller boy grinned before spitting something that didn't even reach the water below.

"Oh my God, that was terrible! I win!" Richie cheered.

"You win?"

"Yeah."

"Did you see my loogie?!" Eddie complained.

"That went the farthest! It's by distance!"

"Mass. It's always been mass," Eddie insisted.

"What the–what is mass?!" Richie exclaimed.

"Who cares how far it goes? It matters how cool it looks, like it's green or it's white or juicy and fat."

Agata scrunched her nose with disgust, "Lovely," she muttered.

"All right," Bill spoke up, interjecting the two, "Who's first?"

There was a pregnant pause between the six teens, all of them looked down with fear. And since Agata felt like Richie was about to say something like 'ladies first' she was about to jump when another feminine voice spoke up from behind them.

"I'll go!"

They turned around and saw Beverly Marsh getting off her bike, dropping it on the ground as she grinned at them. Agata smiled at her now short hair, thinking that it suited her. But as the redhead unbuttoned her button-up dress with a flower pattern but she then gasped when she realized that Beverly was wearing nothing but her a white bra and blue panties.

Agata wasn't the one to stare but even though the two were the same age, the brunette felt self-conscious about her body when she saw how well developed Beverly was.

Agata was still on training bras, and yet Beverly was wearing one that was similar to her mom's.

She was stunned for a moment.

"Sissies!" Beverly laughed as the group stepped back when Beverly ran towards the cliff, passing by them, and jumping off the cliff with mirthful laughter.

"What the fuck!" Richie yelled as they watched Beverly descend into the murky water.

When she hit the surface, Agata winced and became a little concerned, but when Beverly remerged from the water and send a bright grin that could be seen from up where they were standing, flabbergasted and impressed, Agata started to giggle as she felt a sudden rush of adrenaline coarse through her body.

Richie noticed his friend stepping back, and he almost instinctively tried to reach for Agata when she also jumped out of the cliff.

"AGGIE!"

Agata was screaming and laughing the whole journey down to the water, her heart was in her throat but it didn't matter—she felt alive! When she hit the surface, she swam upwards with her eyes closed and when she finally breathed, Beverly was already next to her, laughing and holding her arm as Agata recovered from the fall.

"Oh my God!" Agata squealed as she shared a big grin with Beverly.

"Oh, holy shit! We just got showed up by two girls!" Richie's loud voice could be heard from the water, and Agata stuck her tongue at them, still filled with adrenaline.

"Come on!" Beverly called.

"The water's awesome, you guys!" Agata yelled as she swam a little away to avoid being crushed by any of them.

Beverly followed after and soon the two began hearing splashes from the boys as they jumped off, one by one.

Minutes went by and the seven went from splashing each other to getting on each other's backs to see who could push the other team down into the water first. Agata watched as Beverly got into Bill's back while Richie on Ben's and splashed Eddie when she saw him try to sneak up on her. He laughed as she began chasing him.

"I already won! We already won!" Richie cheered jubilantly and seconds later, he managed to push Beverly into the water, "They're down! Yes!"

Agata looked behind her and grinned, "C'mon Eddie, our turn!" she grabbed his hand under the water and swam back towards them.

"W-What?!" Eddie gasped, he was afraid he couldn't carry Agata over his shoulders.

But they were both the smallest of the group, and Eddie was stronger than he looked like. So when he was able to carry her, Richie whistled as he, the winner, was now facing against Agata and whoever won this round, would win the game entirely.

"Go, Agata! Go, Eddie!" Beverly cheered as Bill and Stan watched, grinning.

It was one. Eddie approached Ben and Agata tried to push Richie as hardest as she could. He had long arms and he was obviously stronger than her, but Agata was determined to at least give him a rough time before she could lose. But, as she looked at Richie to taunt him, she saw him giving her an expression that she has never seen before—was fond? Gentle? Agata didn't know what kind of face he was making, especially when he looked even more handsome without his glasses, and before she could he winked at her and deliberately let her push him off of Ben's shoulders.

When he fell in the water, everyone cheered loudly as Eddie whooped with joy. Agata was still a little stunned but she quickly threw herself in the water to hide her blush.

"Nice one, Agata!" Beverly promptly said when the brunette resurfaced.

The two girls were getting along just fine, better yet, they were acting as if they've been friends for a long time now. Agata was so excited at the idea of finally having a female companion and Beverly was just relieved that there was at least a girl who didn't look at her in a dirty way like Greta did. Beverly was starting to see what Agata hanged out with these boys, and she hoped they would accept her as well.

They all continued swimming up the lake until they stopped again.

"So, how long have you known these guys?" Beverly asked Agata.

"I moved here last year, in July. Met Bill and Ge–" Agata swallowed a sudden painful lump, "–Richie first, then Bill introduced me to the rest of the losers."

"Losers?" Beverly asked, amused.

Agata nodded, proudly, "That's what we call ourselves."

Beverly hummed, taking in the information.

When Agata saw Bill swim towards them, Agata smiled knowingly and decided to go see how the drowning of Richie Tozier—caused by Eddie Kaspbrak—was going. She had a feeling that her leader had a thing for Beverly, I mean, Agata felt like if she was a boy she'd probably liked Beverly too.

But she liked Richie Tozier instead.

The same Richie whose face was the only thing not submerged in the water as Eddie held him down by locking his arm around the curly-haired boy's neck.

"What's the matter Rich, can't breathe?" Eddie taunted as Richie gurgled some water.

"Hello, boys! What's up?" Agata beamed as Eddie flashed her a grin.

"Nothing much, just drowning this asshole!" Eddie replied pleasantly.

"Help!" Richie laughed as he pretended to struggle under Eddie's hold.

Agata did end up saving Richie when she asked nicely for Eddie to let him go, and whilst the three began splashing each other, Stan called Eddie for some reason, leaving Richie and Agata alone. The two splashed each other some more, of course, but when Agata started coughing Richie halted instantly.

"Are you okay?" he swam towards her and gripped her shoulder as she coughed into her arm, just like Eddie had taught her.

"Yeah!" she wheezed, chortling at the same time. His hand on her shoulder was starting to burn her skin so she smoothly dove under the water to shrug it off while pretending she just wanted to wet her hair.

But Richie was still just a step away from her, looking at her in that odd, longing way again.

He was giving Agata a strange vibe ever since that game, and Agata felt compelled to explore more of it. They stared at each other for a long time, and Agata shyly hid half of her face in the water as her cheeks reddened.

She almost jumped out of her skin when he spoke.

"Aggie? I—Ah, fuck! What was that?!" his shy tone and hesitant expression shifted into a startled one as he looked down.

"Something just touched my foot right here!" Stan warned as the group started to form again, much to Agata's disappointment. She really wanted to hear what Richie was about to say and now she'd be forever curious.

Richie and Stan both dived into the water and Agata looked around with Eddie and Ben.

"Where are we looking?" Ben asked as he watched them confusedly.

Richie came up and pointed at the center of their circle, "Right here, right here!"

"It's a turtle," Bill stated after diving in as well.

"Oh! I love turtles!" Agata smiled before she went underwater, wanting to see the reptile herself.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, all seven teens were drying off by the large rocks at the edge of the water. Because of the Summer heat, they were pretty much all dry in a manner of minutes but Beverly told Agata to lay down with her and get tanned with her for fun.

Agata was never conscious about the paleness of her skin, but maybe if she had a little tan she could be prettier. However, she went to get her sunblock first because her mom warned her about getting a sunburn. When she walked up to her backpack and retrieved the sunblock, Agata walked into her five male friends laying their eyes on Beverly Marsh's body—the redhead unaware of this since her eyes were closed.

As the radio played Rock and Roll and they lied down in a large, she glared especially towards Richie. It was like they were all under a syren's song—how ridiculous!

Agata decided she didn't want to get tanned anymore, not if she was going to get ogled like that. So, feeling too many confusing emotions that made her stomach churn, she sat down at the edge of the rock the boys were sitting, isolating herself as she grabbed her backpack and shoved the sunblock inside, taking a water bottle out of it to sip from it.

Boys are stupid! Boys are disgusting!

"Beverly, do you want some sunblock?" she asked out loud, startling the boys as Beverly sat up and took her sunglasses off to look at her.

"Thanks!" she smiled, and Agata couldn't help to smile back at the honesty behind it as she threw it at her, and Beverly caught it between her hands smoothly. It wasn't Beverly's fault that they were staring, Agata knew that. So she wasn't going to treat her like Greta did.

"Can I have some too?" Richie asked, nervously smiling at Agata as if he was testing the waters.

"No," she dryly stated.

Wincing at her tone, Richie decided to distract himself when he noticed that Ben's backpack was open. He rummaged through it and sighed, "News flash, Ben! School's out for summa!" he teased the chubby boy with his British guy voice.

"Oh, that? That's not school stuff," Ben explained as he watched Richie grab a postcard from inside.

"Who sent you this?" the quipper asked curiously as Agata finally decided to stop moping and take a seat next to Ben's as she also curiously looked at the postcard.

"No one! Give it," Ben quickly swiped it from Richie's hands who quickly raised his hands defensively.

But he didn't learn his lesson, Richie was back at perusing through Ben's bag when he pulled out a thick, old looking book. He opened and every page was filled with cut pieces of newspaper articles, "What's with the history project?" he asked, intrigued.

He passed the book towards Agata, like a peace offering, and she took it without glancing at him. She was more interested in the articles spread all over the pages, but when she skimmed through it and realized that they were all about death, her nose scrunched up and she decided to hand it to Bill, who was closer to her.

"When I first moved here, I didn't really have anyone to hang out with, so I just started spending time in the library," Ben explained promptly, and his tone as a little sheepish. Agata smiled softly at him, she knew what was like to be the new kid in Derry but at least she had her losers by her side. She couldn't imagine what Ben went through by himself.

Richie gave Ben an incredulous look, "You went to the library? On purpose?"

"Yes, Richie. People do that," Agata wryly said.

The conversation must've brought up Beverly's curiosity, because she finally stood from her towel to walk towards the circle, "Oh! I wanna see!"

"What's the Black Spot?" Stan asked, and Agata remembered something her mom once told her.

"It was a nightclub that was burned down years ago by a racist cult," she told them with a sad expression, "My mom was in Derry when it happened, she was only nine years old and she was out in the street when it happened."

"Shit..." Eddie commented, feeling sorry for Ms. Ray. She was so nice to him.

"Y-Y-Your hair"

Agata turned her attention when she heard Bill stuttering towards Beverly. She inwardly cringed when Beverly dropped her smile as Bill's stutter refrained him from continuing his phrase.

But then Ben spoke up.

"Your hair is beautiful, Beverly," the timid, chubby boy complimented her.

Agata sensed some sort of jealously happening between Ben and Bill—she decided to get away from that and take a seat next to Richie now. He looked at her surprised, but when she smiled at him he was instantly relieved. Then, she felt dumb. Why had she been mad at him for again? Agata was stupidly confused about everything nowadays.

Her mom called it puberty.

"Oh, right thanks!" Beverly beamed at him as she consciously brushed her curly hair sideways.

Richie and Agata exchanged a look at the awkward tension before the jokester extended his arm to his leader.

"Here, pass it," when the book was back in his hands, Stan scooted closer to Richie to have a peek at it as well.

Agata, who frowned at the articles, sighed and turned towards Ben, "Why is it all murders and missing kids?" she quizzed him with an upset expression.

Ben looked at her with a haunted expression, "Derry's not like any town I've been in before," he started with a quiet tone, "They did a study once, and it turns out people die or disappear six times the national average."

Agata was officially spooked by his statement, she even felt goosebumps forming in her arms and legs as she recalled all those missing posters spread all over town. She scooted closer to Richie for comfort, and he didn't seem to mind it—even when he could smell her green apple shampoo from how close she was.

"You read that?" Beverly asked Ben.

He nodded, happy to have her attention, "And that's just grown-ups. Kids are worse. _Way_, way worse," he told them with a serious tone, "I've got more stuff if you wanna see it."

Agata looked at Eddie and saw him shake his head at the offer, and she couldn't blame at how terrified he looked.

She was scared, too. And for some reason, that clown crawled into her mind at that precise moment.

* * *

**Thirty minutes later**

As Agata sat on the back of Richie's bike, Eddie, Stan, Bill, and Beverly all had packed their things up and were on their way towards Ben's house, who led them slightly ahead.

Everyone let their bikes fall on the grass (for Stan, who would never allow himself to unceremoniously toss his bicycle just like that) and Agata stayed behind with Richie as both waited for Eddie to hurry up while the others ran inside the Hanscom house.

From what Agata gathered as the three left behind went up the stairs, Ben's parents weren't home so that made her feel more at ease.

Eddie and Richie began talking about something when they were about to enter Ben's bedroom, but Agata wasn't paying attention when she noticed his walls covered with even more disturbing newspaper articles.

"Yeah, I heard he has like a rollercoaster and a pet chimp and an old guy's bones—"

"Bones?" Eddie finished for Richie with a grin.

"Yeah!" Richie nodded, but his smile dropped when the two boys finally entered the room after Agata, "Whoa, whoa, whoa" he exclaimed while adjusting his glasses and taking a look around the room.

"Cool, huh?" Ben smiled.

"Cool?!" Agata gasped as she covered her mouth.

"No. No, nothing cool," Richie snarked at Ben, "Oh, this is cool, right here! Wait, no. No, it's not cool."

"Beep beep, Richie," Agata scolded him, and he merely shrugged at her.

"What's that?" Stan inquired as he pointed at paper surrounded by antique pictures.

Ben looked at him as the others brought their attention to him as well, "Oh, that? That's the charter for Derry Township," he quickly pointed out.

"Nerd alert," Richie quipped as he smirked at the others, but he quickly dropped it when he saw Agata's exasperated face.

"No, actually, it's really interesting," Ben stated, brushing off Richie's rude remark, "Derry started as a beaver trapping camp."

"Still is, am I right, boys?" Richie exclaimed as he raised his hand to high-five someone.

Stan gave him a disapproving look while Eddie bluntly ignored him, Agata simply chose to turn her back while she inspected the pictures around the walls. All of these people were dead—it was so creepy that Ben could sleep in this room at night.

Ben continued his brief history lesson, "Ninety-one people signed the charter that made Derry. But later that winter, they all disappeared without a trace."

That sounded like the final line at a scary story that someone would tell by the campfire—just before the jumpscare happened. But Agata did found the mystery interesting enough to peek her attention towards Ben.

"The entire camp?" she repeated, intrigued at the notion.

"There were rumors of Indians, but no sign of an attack. Everybody just thought it was a plague or something," Ben told her with a tone that showed how confused he was as well with it, "But it's like one day everybody just woke up and left. The only clue was a trail of bloody clothes leading to the Well House," he finished.

"Jesus, we can get Derry on Unsolved Mysteries," Richie stated, perplexed.

"Let's do that! You're brilliant!" Eddie complimented him with a sarcastic tone.

"I might be," Richie shrugged, unaffected.

Agata simply shook her head and smiled fondly at the two as they began their daily bickering.

"Oy vey..." Stan sighed as he rolled his eyes at them, making Agata giggle, "Why do you think he decided to show us this?" he whispered at them, trying to conceal their conversation from Ben.

"Maybe he's just trying to make some friends, Stanley," Richie told him with a rare, quiet tone.

"I like him!" she beamed at them, whispering as well, "And so does Duncan," she added.

"W-Where was the Well House?" Bill suddenly asked.

"I don't know. Somewhere in town, I guess. Why?" Ben asked him.

Bill glanced at the papers and pictures on the walls, "Nothing," he mumbled, disappointed.

And Agata knew that this 'nothing' meant that Bill wasn't going to stop until he found out where it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment! Those make me happy and motivate me to write even more :)


	7. Alexandra Ray's Old Friend

**9:22 PM**

Agata was in the middle of the first chapter of 'Jumanji' when her mom called her downstairs, saying that there was a girl on the phone that wanted to talk with her. Duncan followed his girl down the stairs, wagging his tail when Alexandra patted his head when passing by the two, returning to the living room to continue watching the new episode of 'ALF'.

Agata placed the phone on her eat and hesitated before speaking, "Hello?"

_"Agata?"_

It was Beverly Marsh. And she sounded like she'd been crying.

The first thing Agata thought was how did she get her house phone number, "Beverly? Is everything okay?"

_"N-No, something really bad happened. I'm sorry to call you in so late—" _Beverly stopped talking abruptly, and from the way she whispered on the phone Agata guessed that she wasn't supposed to be using it, _"—Bill gave me your phone number. I hope you don't mind..."_

Agata couldn't help but smile at Beverly's anxious tone, "Of course I don't mind, at least now we can talk. You're one of us now, remember?"

Beverly let out a relieved chuckle, but it sounded so forced.

"Are you okay?" the brunette asked.

_"No... I called because I need you all to come to my place tomorrow. After three."_

Agata frowned, confusedly, "Beverly, you sound scared. Did" the clown quickly grinned inside her mind, and Agata couldn't help but fear for her new friend, "Did something happen to you?"

_"Yes. But I can't say it over the phone, you'll think I'm crazy. Just come tomorrow, I already called Bill and he's warning everyone else as we speak—I hope. Will you come?"_ Beverly whispered desperately.

"Of course. Losers stick together, I'll be there," Agata confirmed solemnly.

Beverly sniffed over the phone, _"Thank you, Agata. I..."_ she hesitated before speaking, _"Nevermind, I'll see you tomorrow."_

"Bye, Beverly," Agata whispered before the line was cut. She placed the phone back in its place and stared at it for a few seconds, wondering what Beverly wanted to tell her and anxious about what she was about to see tomorrow.

"Who was it, honey?" Alexandra asked from the couch as the episode ended.

Shaking her worries away, Agata walked up to her with Duncan by her side and stared at her until Alexandra's blue eyes drifted from the television screen to her daughter.

"That was Beverly Marsh, my new friend."

Alexandra blinked, "Oh?"

"She asked me if I could hang out with her tomorrow, at her place."

Alexandra smiled. For the first time they moved to Derry, her daughter finally managed to befriend a girl. It wasn't as if she disliked those boys that were always with her, hell, she loved them all! They welcomed her daughter with open arms and helped Agata come out of her shell. Alexandra didn't care if Agata only had male friends, but to find a female friend—that could help Agata with things that she didn't want to tell Alexandra.

A friendship between two girls was a beautiful thing.

She tried not to sound too excited when she spoke, "That's nice! Beverly Marsh, what a beautiful name. What time are you leaving?" she asked, grinning.

Agata seemed more relieved now, "She said after three. And I need to see which one of the boys is picking me up, it's probably Bill, though."

Alexandra's smile strained a little, "Oh, honey, I'm sorry I can't afford to buy you a bike. I'll try this Christmas but—"

"Mom!" Agata interrupted, eyes widening, "It's okay! I really don't mind not having one, and the boys say they don't mind giving me rides."

Her mom didn't seem convinced, but she nodded nonetheless, "Okay honey. I'll leave you lunch ready for you tomorrow, make sure you eat before you leave."

"Alright, mom!"

Agata made a move to walk back to her room again when Alexandra remembered something.

"Oh! Wait, are you taking Duncan?"

The dog in question barked as he recognized his name being said.

"Yeah, I want him to meet Bev,"

After confirming that to her mom, Agata returned to her bedroom, feeling a little too thoughtful to continue reading her book. She wondered If Beverly was okay. Agata knew that if her life had been in real danger Beverly wouldn't have just whispered as she did, so maybe Beverly was fine—for now.

Agata couldn't focus on anything anymore. She decided to brush her teeth and tell her mom she was going to sleep while beckoning Duncan to join her. The family's pet followed after the teen dutifully and took his place at the end of Agata's bed, as usual.

She also grabbed the journal that her mom gave her on her birthday and decided to write on it. She's been doing it ever since March, just a month after receiving it, but she's been writing more and more after her encounter with that clown.

When she was finished, Agata placed it under her pillow and turned off her lamp, letting her room be illuminated by a street light that stood right in front of her house, she couldn't help but wonder why the clown had chosen to show up in the old toolshed from her backyard—she only knew that it was still locked, as if Pennywise had never broken the doors when scaring her.

She closed her eyes and took comfort by feeling Duncan lie his head on her feet, and slowly, sleep consumed her into a dreamless night.

Not noticing the street lamp flickering until its light vanished.

* * *

**2:22 AM**

Alexandra yawned as she turned off the television, finally feeling tired enough to go to sleep. She stood up from the couch and stretched her limbs, and after yawning again, she grabbed the plate from a sandwich she prepared an hour ago as a snack and took it to the kitchen, putting in on the sink to wash it tomorrow.

As she was about to turn around, she heard a rumbling sound coming from outside.

There was a small window directly in front of her sink, so she had access to the view of her backyard—she looked around, mildly wary but still too sleepy to be fully alert.

When all she heard was a single cricket stridulating into the night, Alexandra shrugged it off and turned to leave again. Only, when she was passing by her backdoor towards the hall that led to the stairs, a sound as if many heavy objects tumbled down a shelf came from outside—from the toolshed.

Gasping, she quickly unlocked the backdoor and stepped outside, staring at the toolshed.

The light was turned on, and the door was slightly ajar, enough for Alexandra to feel anxious. Her first thought was to call the police because someone was breaking into her toolshed—but then she remembered: that shed is old, too old for its lightbulb to work. And it looked freshly painted with a sickening yellow color that reminded Alexandra of her childhood.

She suddenly gasped loudly when a shadow appeared on the gap of the door, it was standing there, staring at her as the bright light above the figure covered them with darkness.

"Girl! Come here!"

"Fuck!" Alexandra cursed. That voice, the sharpness of it and the authoritative tone—that was her grandfather, "Fuck, fuck!" she wasn't stupid enough to believe it was actually him, but this was so much worst than believing that was she was witnessing was a ghost haunting her—this was so, so much worst.

"Bitch! Go fetch me a beer and get your ass over here!"

"Shut up! Leave me alone!" she yelled, not caring if the neighbors heard her. Alexandra was shaking, not only from fear but from shock as well, "Stay the fuck away—you fucking clown!"

"Clown?" her grandfather giggled childishly.

Alexandra backed away into her home, she was slowly closing the backdoor again, eyes widened as she kept them on the toolshed. Then, the door opened completely. And from inside, marching slowly towards her with cartoonish movements, the clown stopped pretending to be her grandfather while it grinned hungrily in her direction.

She made eye contact with its glowing yellow eyes as it was standing in the middle of her backyard, its stare kept her frozen on the doorway, her blue eyes widening as the clown lifted a hand to wave at her, looking like one of the cartoons Agata watched Saturday morning. 

IT almost didn't look real. But IT was.

And Alexandra, as an adult, realized that monsters _are_ real.

"Hello there Alex! I've missed you so much!" it giddily greeted her, drool sliding down the corner of its red lips, "Look at how much you've grown!"

Alexandra frowned scornfully, and then shut the backdoor at once, locking it too while believing that it would keep the monster out.

Pennywise frowned at her, almost like a disappointed parent would, "Oh~ C'mon now! That's not the way to greet an old _friend_!" it laughed, jumping to stand in front of the door now.

_"Where are you going, Alex? I thought we were gonna play! COME BACK AND PLAY WITH PENNYWISE!"_

Alexandra looked up at it, she grasped onto the doorknob and stared at its bright eyes. It was real. Her memories now returned fully—back to that night in 1962 where she had been humiliated by those girls and was walking home alone, through the night. It had been the day when that fire happened too.

She wanted to cry.

When Pennywise grinned widely, showing its sharp teeth, Alexandra remembered that her daughter was sleeping upstairs, unaware of the terror happening downstairs. A switch was turned within her, and it made Alexandra feel brave and protective—there is no way she was going to allow this fucking clown to touch Agata.

"Fuck. Off," she spat at it venomously, "You're not my friend, you're a monster."

Pennywise's excited grin dropped when he stopped smelling her fear, "No NO! FEAR ME!" it yelled, almost desperately.

"Never! Go fuck yourself you clown!" she barked, her breath quickening as adrenaline took over, "I'm not scared of you! Not anymore! I'm no longer that little girl you manipulated, and I won't let you touch Agata either, you fuck! So go fuck yourself right into the hellhole you crawled from!"

Pennywise's golden eyes turned crimson as he gave her a dark look, "You smelled so good before. But now? You stink. You repulse **me**. You disgust **me**!" its voice raised with each insult, and he started banging its fists on the glass door, **"YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS ALEX! YOU OWE ME A MEAL! YOU ARE MINE TO EAT! YOU AND YOUR DAUGHTER AND THOSE CHILDREN ARE ALL MINE TO FEAST ON! FEAR ME! FEAR ME! FEAR ME!"**

Alexandra screamed, not because she was scared, but because Pennywise began banging its head on the door, trying to break it with each word.

"You can't come in! The locker is keeping you out!" she yelled at it while holding onto the knob, "GO AWAY! FUCK YOU!" Alexandra closed her eyes as Pennywise kept banging, louder and louder, "It's not real—it's not real—it's not real—"

The air settled into quietness.

She opened her eyes and stared into her backyard—Pennywise was gone. But the glass was slightly cracked, proving that she didn't hallucinate the encounter.

"Mom?"

Alexandra let out a startled gasp as she turned around to see Agata, rubbing her eyes sleepily as Duncan quickly approached, growling at the backdoor after sniffing it.

"What's going on?" Agata asked, still a little dazed from being abruptly woken up by her mother's screams.

Alexandra made a quick choice as she was careful with her words, "Oh, nothing sweetie. A raccoon was trying to get inside the toolshed," she turned towards the German Shepard, who looked like he was about to bark warningly as it growled, staring at the backyard, "Duncan! Don't you dare to bark!"

Agata watched her mom grab Duncan by his collar and guide him back to the staircase, "Mom?"

"Now, you two go upstairs and go back to sleep," Alexandra said as she let out of her pet to smile at her daughter, "Go on now, you have to go to Beverly's tomorrow, right?" Alexandra didn't know how long she could keep smiling as Agata stared at her with an odd expression. She was trying to keep it together, refraining her hands from shaking too much as she kissed Agata's head before she returned upstairs.

When alone, Alexandra sat on the couch and turned on the television again. But she wasn't watching whatever was on it—her eyes were sunken, matching her thoughtful expression—as Alexandra started planning on how to leave Derry as fast as possible before that clown could hurt Agata.

She knew this wasn't fair.

She dragged Agata here, and her daughter was probably going to hate her from separating her from her friends—her first friends nonetheless. But Alexandra couldn't stay in this town knowing that a monster lurked in the shadows, inducing fear onto children before it ate them.

With her savings, there was no way they could just pack up and leave tomorrow. Then what? They'd be homeless and live in her car until the bank came to retrieve it.

No, she needed to be responsible.

She sighed with a defeated expression as her body sunk into the couch—it was hopeless. Who was she kidding? She invested everything in this stupid house, Alexandra was stuck in Derry and there was nothing she could do about it.

All she could do is hope that her daughter would never have to face Pennywise while Alexandra tried to find out how if there was a way to kill it.

* * *

**3:17 PM**

Duncan sauntered closely near Richie's bike as Agata sat behind the messy-haired boy, her arms wrapped around his torso tightly as he laughed, feeling the wind on his face.

The rest of the losers were riding next to him, all of them keeping up with each other without leaving anyone behind.

"Good boy Duncan!" Richie laughed as he watched the dog with admiration.

Agata laughed, looking at her dog with an affectionate smile. It seems that Richie's cheering seemed to have boosted Duncan's speed, he was now running in front of the bikes, and everyone began cheering at one.

"Holy shit! Go, Duncan!" Eddie hollered.

"Wooo!" Stan laughed.

They passed many streets and even the kissing bridge, but eventually, and after ten minutes, they reached the apartment complexes where Beverly lived in. Agata felt a sense of similarity when she saw the buildings, even though they weren't as tall as the ones in New York City it was, in a way, comforting.

"We should've gone the other way!" Eddie suddenly told the group.

"No, we gotta go through the alley!" Richie stated.

"The alley takes too long!"

"No, the alley is so much faster!"

"The alley is more dangerous and it's disgusting!" Eddie retorted.

"How is it more dangerous?" Richie asked, rolling his eyes.

"It smells like piss and it's gross!" Eddie yelled, "Just take the side streets for once!"

Agata sighed, hiding her face on Richie's back exasperatedly as Stan rolled his eyes in the same manner.

"Oh my God," the curly-haired boy groaned, "The side streets are the same! They smell like piss and shit!" Stan told Eddie.

Not wanting to admit defeat, Eddie ignored him and changed the subject, "Can you just tell me what she said exactly?"

"She didn't say anything," Stan answered, "She just said that you guys needed to hurry."

"She sounded scared," Agata inputted.

But Eddie wasn't having it, "She didn't say anything. Okay, okay," he nodded his head, thinking this was a terrible idea.

As they approached the back of the complex where Beverly told them to show up, Agata spotted the redhead already running towards them with a haunted expression—that couldn't be good.

Eddie dropped his bike first, startled when Beverly suddenly was right in front of him, out of breath and speaking quickly, "You made it. I..." she looked at them, trying to calm down, "I need to show you something," Beverly promptly.

"What is it?" Eddie asked carefully.

"More than we saw at the quarry?" Richie asked playfully.

Agata scoffed, getting off of his bike quickly before glaring at him, "Beep beep, Richie!" she raised her voice, and everyone stared at her with shock because she had never raised her voice so angrily at them.

Agata regretted it instantly as she saw Richie stare at her with widened eyes—she had no idea why she yelled at him like that. Or why did his comment irritate her so much? Was it because it implied that Richie had enjoyed gawking at Beverly's body like an ogling dumbass? Why? Because Beverly had breasts and she didn't? Did Agata even want Richie to look at her like that?

Agata wanted to scream at her mixed emotions, they were changing her.

She cleared her throat and calmed her expression, "That's not a nice thing to say to a girl," she quickly excused, praying that it would work.

It did. Richie's features relaxed but it was clear that he was still confused about her outburst.

"Yeah, Richie! Just shut up!" Eddie barked at him in defense of Beverly and Agata.

Duncan approached Beverly and began sniffing her feet, and the redhead quickly started patting his head as she continued talking to the group, "My dad will kill me if he finds out I had boys in the apartment," she explained, addressing why she insisted for them to meet her in the back of the building.

"We-We-We'll leave a lookout," Bill assured her, "Richie, s-sta-stay here," he told the boy before the rest of the group dropped their bikes and followed Beverly towards the stairwell.

"Duncan, stay with Richie boy!" Agata orderer her dog, patting him in the head as she passed by the German Shepard.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What if her dad comes back?" Richie asked out loud, finding the whole situation unfair.

"Do what you always do. Start talking," Stan snarked at him.

Duncan barked, moving towards Richie to sit next to the boy dutifully.

"It is a gift!" Richie agreed, calling after them and making Agata smile as she climbed the stairs.

They got inside Beverly's apartment and Agata suddenly felt cold, she also decided that it was too dark and the vibe that it transmitted wasn't homey at all. The group followed Beverly as she walked down the hall, and when she stopped walking to point at her bathroom door Agata noticed that Beverly looked like she was afraid to take another step towards it.

"In there..." she quietly told them.

Agata was standing between Eddie and Ben, but she could see the door between Beverly and Bill—and it looked as if a red light was beaming from the other side. It was strange, but scary as well. She read a book about colors before, and the color red always means danger. That door was like a sign that something dangerous had happened on the other side, and Agata couldn't help but grab Eddie's hand when they began walking towards it—and the other squeezed her hand as well, both comforting each other.

"What is it?" Bill asked.

"You'll see," Beverly somberly told him.

"Are you taking us to your bathroom?" Eddie began panicking, "I just want you to know that eighty-nine percent of the worst accidents at home are caused in bathrooms. And, I mean, that's where all the bacteria and fungi are i-it's not really a sanitary place," he rambled, squeezing Agata's hand even tighter when Bill reached for the doorknob to twist it open.

She hushed him gently, "It's okay Eds, we're here," she tried to sound assuring, but Agata's voice trembled a little as a look of horror took over her face when Bill opened the door fully.

It was terrorizing.

They all saw blood, glowing brightly while covering every inch and edge of the bathroom's floor and walls. It was everywhere. The bathtub, the toiler, the sink, the mirror and even on the window and curtains—there wasn't a space in the room where Agata didn't see being soaked with blood.

She almost felt bile come up from her stomach and the smell hit her nostrils, But Agata simply gagged and covered her nose and mouth with her free hand, looking around with widened eyes.

"I knew it!" Eddie whined, stepping behind Agata without taking his hand from hers before he gagged as well.

"Do you see it?" Beverly asked them, hopefully, and fearfully. It was if she was scared that only she could see the revolting scene before them.

"Yes..." Agata softly replied, giving her an appalled look as she uncovered her face.

"What" Stan began, but he had to pause to try to keep his voice from cracking, "What happened here?" he asked.

"My dad couldn't see it. I thought I might be crazy," Beverly replied.

Ben scoffed lightly, "Well, if you're crazy, then we're all crazy."

"We c-c-can't leave it like this," Bill asserted, bravely taking the first step and walking inside the bloody bathroom as he looked around with a thoughtful expression.

Agata felt Eddie letting go of her hand, and when she looked at him he was giving her a pleading look—she smiled knowingly and shook her head, mentally telling him that they were doing exactly what he feared that they were.

She didn't know how long it has been since they all grabbed every cleaning product they could find in the sink's cabinet and began scrubbing and washing the bathroom from top to bottom. Agata and Eddie were in charge of the floor, whilst Stan was with the window, Ben and Bill the walls and Beverly took care of the mirror and sink—all blood collected was being dumped in the bathtub so that would be the last thing they'd clean together.

Agata, as she used a mop to absorb the blood from the tiles, heard Eddie cry as he squeezed the blood from his cleaning rag into one of the buckets, keeping his inhaler inside his mouth the entire time as if it was an oxygen mask. She smiled sadly at him but in a sense, she also felt that this could be good for his hypochondria and that even though the whole thing was messed up, she felt that this was an experience they could bond over—strengthening Beverly's position within the club.

An hour or two must've passed when the bathroom's glowing red light disappeared, letting the sunlight from outside clear the room's negative energy into a normal looking bathroom.

Agata smiled, feeling relief when she dumped one of the buckets covered with blood into the bathtub and watching it disappear down the drain brought a better mood into her each time. She then followed after Stan and Eddie when they walked out to throw away the garbage bags filled with blood-soaked rags that could no longer be re-used, she grabbed a bag as well and was about to grab another when Ben beat her to it, smiling kindly at her.

"Thanks, Ben!" she grinned before walking out, hearing Ben following as well.

However, she did stop hearing his steps when she almost reached the kitchen, so she decided to look back. Ben was exiting Beverly's bedroom with a soft smile, and even though she found that strange and wanted to scold him from going in there without Beverly's permission, she also saw him halt—staring into the bathroom again.

And his expression was now sad as his eyes stared longingly ahead of him.

Agata could only guess that look was for Beverly Marsh.

She felt intrusive, so Agata turned around and continued on her way to put the bag on the garbage. She was having a mental debate if she should try to approach Ben and ask if he was okay. She didn't want him to feel as if she was trying to forcefully pry anything from him, but Agata cared about her friends and just because he has only been around for two days it didn't mean he was less than a friend to her.

"Hey, you good?" Eddie asked, suddenly materializing next to her after the dumped the garbage bag into the can.

"Jesus! Eddie, you scared me!" she gasped, covering her heart.

He raised his eyebrows, "Sorry, I was just checking up—also, here, put this on your hands," he unzipped his fanny back and grabbed an anti-bacterial gel bottle from inside.

"Eddie..." she sighed, but he gave her a look that she could describe as puppy eyes and Agata could never resist his big, brown eyes. She gave up and raised her palms in his direction, and Eddie happily poured a decent amount of gel in her hands.

"You'll thank me!" Eddie beamed, putting some on his hands as well.

Stan joined them and gave Eddie an exasperated, but fond look that made Agata smile from amusement.

Agata didn't know what Bill and Beverly talked about, but when they returned, Beverly seemed to be in a much better mood as her eyes looked fondly to each Loser—and there Agata knew, that she was now officially one of them.

* * *

After meeting up with Richie again, Duncan was properly introduced to Beverly and the two adored each other right away. Agata knew this would happen because of Duncan's great sense of finding out who's good or bad.

But now, even after when they left the apartment complex behind, they had to endure Richie's trashmouth.

"No, I love being your personal doorman, really!" he sarcastically stated as he circled the group with his bicycle as everyone walked, "Could you idiots have taken any longer?!"

"All right, sorry Richie but beep beep" Agata sighed, walking between Eddie and Beverly as Duncan barked, stalking behind his owner.

"Shut up, Richie!" Eddie shouted over her, tired of hearing him complain the whole way.

"Yeah, shut up, Richie," Stan parroted, starting to get annoyed as well.

"Oh, okay, trash the trashmouth, I get it!" Richie retorted sourly, "Hey, I wasn't the one scrubbing the bathroom floor imagining that her sink went all Eddie's mom's vagina on Halloween!"

"She didn't imagine it," Bill stated, stopping his tracks while the rest of the Losers did as well.

They all looked at him, waiting for their leader to continue as Richie's pressed the breaks of his bike, staring at him as well.

"I s-s-saw something, too," Bill continued, but Agata noticed that he seemed hesitant to tell them this.

"You saw blood, too?" Stan inquired as everyone listened attentively. It was like a collective understanding had crossed over the teens, except for Richie, who could only glance between his friend's faces with a confused expression.

Bill paused for a moment before he finally looked at Stan, shaking his head, "No blood," he answered quietly, "I saw Ge-Ge-Georgie."

Agata suddenly felt a pang of pain in her heart at the mention of the little boy's name, and she almost walked up to Bill to give him a tight hug, "Georgie?" she repeated, her throat suddenly dry at how shocked she sounded.

"It seemed so real" Bill continued anxiously, "I mean, it seemed like him but there was this" he trailed off, trying to find the correct word to describe that

"The clown," Eddie supplied, his voice meek and frightened. They all looked at him in surprise, and he nervously looked around before avoiding their eyes to stare at the street, "Yeah, I saw him too," he confirmed.

Agata hugged herself, reminiscing about her own encounter with Pennywise, "Me too, in my mom's toolshed," she admitted, sensing their eyes on her now.

Bill looked around, and when he saw all of them, except for Richie, nodding at him with serious and scared expressions it was all he needed to confirm that they all went through their own encounter as well.

"Wait, can only virgins see this stuff?" Richie commented cheekily, "Is that why I'm not seeing this shit?"

Eddie rolled his eyes and looked away, but then he noticed a car parked by the edge of the woods that led to the quarry, "Oh shit, that's Belch Huggins' car," he warned them quickly, "W-We should probably get outta here."

"Yeah..." Agata agreed, not wanting to run into Bowers and his friends after hours of cleaning a bloody bathroom.

"Wait, isn't that the homeschooled kid's bike?" Bill suddenly asked.

"Yeah, that's Mike's," Eddie confirmed.

And when Agata looked at the bike fallen on the dirty, with the familiar basket where he usually put the meat whenever he was delivering it to the butcher shop, her eyes widened as she began fearing for his sake.

When her mom took her to the shop to buy meat for the week, she encountered him there, delivering packages of lamb meat to the owner. The two didn't speak to each other but when Mike Hanlon looked at her, Agata offered him a friendly smile—which he shyly returned.

He seemed nice. And Agata quickly forgot the fear she had about Bowers and was now ready to go help him.

"We need to help him, Bill!" Agata said with an alarmed voice.

"We should?" Richie gave her a skeptical look.

"Yes!" Beverly exclaimed, thinking how many times Bowers had terrorized her at school.

It was decided then.

Whoever was holding a bike let it drop unceremoniously on the road as Agata ran ahead with Duncan and Beverly following soon after, and as she ran inside the forest with them, her heart dropped when she heard angry shouts nearby.

She felt Richie quickly run to stand by her side, and the two exchanged a look before they arrived at the place the Bowers Gang had chosen to torture Mike.

Agata was disgusted at the sight of Henry pinning Mike down by sitting on his chest, and she quickly held Duncan by his collar before her dog could cross the small stream separating the groups — she didn't want Henry to find a way to hurt her dog.

And as Henry was about to hit Mike in the head with a large rock, she quickly noticed Beverly pick up a rock from the ground and throw it at Henry, hitting him in the head.

Duncan began barking, making Belch jump as his friends stared at the Losers with shock.

Agata's eyes were on Mike, and she cringed at how badly hurt he looked.

"Nice throw!" Stan complimented Beverly as the rest of the group arrived.

"Thanks," Beverly said, smiling at him.

As Bill and the others began collecting more rocks from the ground for protection, Agata noticed that Mike used the fact that his bullies were too stunned from what just happen to even care that he was escaping, he ran towards the stream, almost losing his balance in the water as he desperately tried to reach for the group that had just saved him.

"Duncan, sit!" Agata ordered with a serious tone. No matter how much she wanted Duncan to attack those psychopaths, she knew they could all hurt her dog. She knew Victor has already killed dogs before, it was just a rumor but with him—it had to be the truth.

Duncan obediently sat down, growling threatening as he stared at Henry and his goons as Agata walked down the small hill to meet Mike halfway, and when his arm reached for her Agata quickly grabbed it, helping him stand and walk up the hill to join her friends.

"You're okay now, we got you, Mike," she whispered gently as he tried to calm his panicked breathing.

"You losers are trying too hard," Henry suddenly said, and when Agata looked at him, he was bleeding from his forehead—where Beverly's rock had hit him, "She'll do you," he continued, staring at Beverly with a smirk, "You just gotta ask nicely, like I did," then, Agata almost looked away when Henry grabbed his crotch, squeezing it towards Beverly in a sexual manner.

It was vile. He was so disgusting.

Suddenly, and startling everyone, Ben let out a scream full of rage towards Henry and quickly threw a rock at the bully, surprising everyone and hitting Henry's head with a perfect aim.

"What the fuck?" Henry exclaimed, backing away into Victor.

Agata saw her friends' face, she knew what was about to happen. She quickly gathered Mike in her arms and helped him sit between bushes so he could be safe—Duncan quickly joined Mike, licking his face as a greeting and comfort and Mike, who was still shaken, welcomed the dog's attention but hugging Duncan closely.

Satisfied, Agata then grabbed three rocks from the ground and stood between Stan and Beverly, her face filled with determination for what was about to happen.

Beverly threw another rock as well, inspired by Ben, and filled with resentment for the times Henry had tormented her with sexual comments.

Finally realizing that the Losers weren't intimated, Henry started picking up rocks as well, "Come on, get 'em! Fuck!" he barked angrily at Belch and Victor, who obeyed quickly.

"ROCK WAR!" Richie hollered before he got hit in the face by a rock Henry threw at him.

Agata gasped, "Richie!" she screamed, then, she glared at the gang and threw one of her rocks as hard as she could—and it hit Belch right in his throat. She didn't celebrate too quickly because she yelped when a rock almost hit her shoulder.

"Get 'em!"

"Watch out!"

Agata had no idea who was winning or losing, she just kept throwing rocks with her friends towards Bowers and his monkeys and tried her best to dodge any incoming rocks flying in her direction. She especially aimed towards Henry and mentally cheered each time her own ammo hit that mullet asshole—one particular hit him in his crotch and Agata couldn't wait to boast about that when this was all over.

Eddie suddenly jumped from the small cliff into the stream, bravely and quiet ragefully throwing rocks towards their enemy—and Agata had to admit that she was impressed by his actions, but at the same time, all she wanted was to grab him and bring him back to where he was safer.

Still, adrenaline was pumping into her body each time she threw a rock so she couldn't help to get a little excited.

"Take this!" Agata screamed, throwing a rock that hit Belch right on his nose—making the chubby teen groan and drop his ammo.

"Fuck! You bitch!" Belch growled before he grabbed a rock and threw it at her, Agata gasped, it was coming so fast towards her that didn't have the time to dodge it—it hit her right in the stomach, getting the wind knocked out of her.

She bent down, grasping onto her stomach as she tried to regain her breathing again.

"AGGIE!" Richie screamed, "YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" He bellowed at Belch, seeing red now. He skipped around the rocks and joined Eddie on the stream, also throwing even larger rocks at the three teens who bullied him for years.

"Agata!" Eddie gasped, looking back at his friend with a shocked expression before he too let out a revengeful scream and worked together with Richie to cover Belch in rock marks, "FUCK OUTTA HERE!" he screamed angrily as Belch didn't even have the time to throw the rock on his hand while trying to cover his head from the rocks Richie and Eddie threw at him at a fast pace. It was two against one.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, dropping the rock.

Agata was now able to breathe better, and she felt a pair of hands helping her to stand up. It was Stan, and he was giving her a concerned look while everyone kept fighting.

"I'm fine" she coughed, smiling weakly before grabbing another rock to throw.

"Agata—"

Mike suddenly rose from his hiding spot, feeling both guilty and mad from what just happened to Agata, and quickly threw a rock he had found. Duncan joined them too, quickly running to stand between Richie and Eddie in the stream and he barked dangerously close to the gang.

Victor and Belch both looked at the dog with fear as Henry was hit by Mike's rock, which sent him to the ground after hitting him hard on his head.

"Ah, shit!" Victor cried.

"Fuck you, bitch!" Belch yelled at Beverly, but he was instantly met with a rock in his face by the redhead.

Agata saw Henry tried to stand up again, and she wasn't going to allow it when she threw a rock at him, hitting his back hard and making his body drop on the ground again.

"Come on, guys! Let's get 'em!" Eddie encouraged his friends.

Despite the pain she was still feeling, Agata laughed and threw another rock, this time at Victor and his stupid bleached blond hair.

That seemed to have been his last straw, "Fuck this!" he yelled before running away, leaving Henry behind with Belch when the larger teen also decided to give up, following after him.

Now that Agata noticed, Patrick Hockstetter wasn't with them. But she didn't mind that one bit.

"Fuck out of here!" Richie yelled, watching them run.

They all stopped throwing rocks, watching Henry slowly raise his head to give them an expression that Agata thought it could be of fear and surprise. But they weren't sticking around anymore, she saw Richie approach her from her side as Eddie walked back to assist Stan with helping Mike up the small hill, towards the forest path where they came from. Duncan followed after Richie, whining when he was close to his owner.

"Aggie?" Richie asked, eyeing her body with concerned eyes behind his thick glasses.

She smiled softly at him, and even though her chest still ached a little, she grabbed hold of his hand and began following after their friends, "I'm fine Richie, I'm okay," she assured him lightly before patting Duncan's head with her free hand, "Let's go, boy," she told her dog, who proceeded to give one last growl towards a stunned Henry before he stalked after the Losers.

He stopped though, and turned towards Henry with an angry face, "Go blow your dad you mullet-wearing asshole!"

Agata smiled and looked away to chuckle a little.

It was clear that Richie was still upset by her being hit during the rock war. Both didn't look back to watch Henry stand up, they didn't care enough. Richie could only squeeze Agata's hand, realizing that the brunette didn't let go as they walked back together.

And something inside his chest celebrated it, but deep down he knew if Agata found out his secret, she'd wipe her hand away from him with disgust.

As they walked down a hill, with a train passing by on the rail bridge behind them, Agata's cheeks reddened when she finally let go of his hand to walk ahead of him, between Stan and her crush. She tried to distract herself by feeling the tall grass on her legs or by hearing Mike's sudden statement.

"Thanks, guys, but you shouldn't have done that. They'll be after you guys too, now," Mike said with a solemn tone, feeling guilty as he thought he had doomed these kids that just helped him. He was still surprised to see Agata Ray with them—he still remembers meeting her at the butcher shop, and Mike sometimes would catch himself thinking about her blue eyes while working on the farm.

Eddie, who was leading the group in front of Bill with Duncan by his side, turned to look at Mike with an easy smile, "Oh, no, no, no—Bowers? He's always after us," he assured the other casually, looking back ahead to make sure he wouldn't trip on a rock.

"I guess that's one t-thin-thing we have in common," Bill added, glancing towards Mike to give him a quick, friendly smile.

"Yeah, Homeschool. Welcome to the Losers Club!" Richie proclaimed with an accepting tone.

Duncan barked, welcoming Mike as well.

Agata, who felt giddy about having Mike Hanlon with them, couldn't help but voice her opinion as well, "We're all your friends now, Mike!"

He looked back at the sound of her soft, feminine voice and smiled shyly, "Thanks, uh, Agata."

Richie's grin dropped as he looked between Mike and Agata, and suddenly Mike's presence stirred something new inside the trashmouth.

The Losers Club was now complete, but their troubles were just beginning.


	8. Investigation Gone Wrong

**July 4th, 1989**

Agata couldn't believe they were already a month into summer vacation and the only thing that happened was a scary encounter with a clown. Well, if Agata wanted to be positive she also thought about gaining two new friends and an official clubhouse that was secretly situated in the Barrens–underground.

Ben found the hole days ago and he took the losers there just after the rock fight. He'd be working on it before—solidifying the walls the panels and even building a staircase out of an old tree oak. Making the place homier wasn't a problem for the losers, they brought in posters and Richie his boombox and Agata couldn't help to bring in her poster of Michael J. Fox, her recent celebrity crush. She didn't care if Richie teased her about it, even though the actor was twenty-eight years old she would never forget watching the 'Back to the Future' movies and not sigh dreamily at Marty McFly.

When Alexandra heard about this clubhouse she gave Agata old blankets that they never used and also she came back from the store with extra dog bowls and food for Duncan to have in the clubhouse in case Agata took him with her. And now Duncan had his own corner in there, where he rested while watching over the losers.

Today, however, Duncan stayed home while Alexandra and Agata went to the forth of July parade. They decided not to bring their dog because of the loud noises and the crowd—and because Duncan was afraid of firework and the kids in this town always managed to get their hands on them and prank bystanders.

The two were having fun, they got some cotton candy and then participated in some games that allowed Alexandra to get a stuffed panda for Agata. And when Agata went to use the restroom inside a small coffee shop, Alexandra waited outside while looking around.

She couldn't help but smile sadly—do these people know what lurks in the shadows? Could this happy day end in another tragic death of another child?

"Hey Ms. R!"

Alexandra's shoulder shook a little at the sound of the sudden, chirping tone. She turned her head to see Richie Tozier coming her way with Eddie Kaspbrak by his side—who glared at Richie for being loud.

She couldn't help but smile fondly at the two of the closest friends of Agata, "Hello boys! Enjoying the parade?"

Eddie looked at her and nodded, "Yes, we actually called your house to see if Agata could come out. We're all meeting up later," he told her with a light tone. Eddie really liked Agata's mom, she was cool and pretty. And she also didn't coddle Agata much as his mom did. Eddie didn't want to admit it but he was kind of envious of Agata for having a better mom than he did, but it wasn't like he resented her. Even though his mom had talked trash about her. _'Don't talk to that Godless woman! She was never married and is raising a child on her own! What type of mother leaves their kid unsupervised because of work?' _Eddie didn't believe his mom. And he also didn't care if Agata never met her father—Alexandra Ray was a good woman.

"Can Aggie still come?" Richie added, grinning up at the woman. Richie thought that Alexandra had to be the nicest mom he'd ever meet. It was good to know that at least someone had a decent parent. He could also see the similarities between the two, and if this is how Agata was going to look like as an adult then Richie's heart thumped at the thought of even still be in her life by the time they're forty years old. He hoped that'd be that case—but when he thought about it, his parents weren't friends with the same kids they met during middle school so part of Richie feared the future.

"Of course she can, I already had her for almost all day and I gotta go home check on Duncan," Alexandra said, "But take care of my little girl, okay?" she added with a motherly tone.

"Ms. R, please, I'm her knight in shining armor—I will protect her with my life!" Richie exclaimed with a courteous tone, making Alexandra grin with amusement.

Eddie, however, rolled his eyes.

"Always the funny one, Richie, you do it so well!" she praised, and Richie fixed his glassed with a rare sheepish look.

It was one thing being complemented by one of his friends but when an adult did it? That was more credible.

"Why, thank you, my Queen," he bowed his head while using his British accent.

"Richie shut up," Eddie hissed at him while Alexandra laughed merrily.

She curtsied, "You are very welcome, dear sir," she retorted, using an English voice as well.

Both Eddie and Richie awed at her, but the messy-haired boy was the first one to let out a guffaw. This is why he liked Agata's mom. She was so cool!

The door from the store behind them jiggled and they all watched as Agata walked out of it, instantly beaming at the sight of her friends.

"Hi, guys!" she greeted happily.

Richie stared a little. She was wearing a cute denim shirtdress that reached her knees (with knee-length white leggings underneath), with split short-sleeves and a comfy crewneck, and a braided brown belt wrapped around a waist. Her long hair was hairstyled with boxer braids and Richie noted that it wasn't the first time she'd wear her hair like that.

He grinned, trying to avoid his cheeks from warming up.

"Hi Agata, you look nice!" Eddie complimented her with a friendly smile.

Agata smiled shyly, "Thanks Eddie," then, she looked at Richie expectantly, "Richie?"

"Uh?" he mumbled, blinking dumbly at her from behind his glasses.

Agata's smile didn't drop, but her eyes did flash a hint of disappointment, "Nothing," she perked up again, eyeing Eddie, "What are you guys up to?"

"They were asking me if you could go with them, apparently your little club is gonna meet up," Alexandra answered instead, amusing to what she just witnessed between Richie and her daughter. She'd always knew that after spending so many times with the boys, a crush would eventually come up, but what Alexandra was surprised at was that Richie was apparently the boy Agata chose. That that she disliked the way, but perhaps she misjudged her daughter completely—she always thought Stan or Bill would be her type.

Alexandra was wrong.

"Oh! Really? Can I go?" Agata asked, giving her mom puppy eyes.

Alexandra nodded, "Of course, I'll go back home though," she watched as Agata celebrated before joining Richie and Eddie, "Oh, sweetie, do you have ice cream money?" she remembered Agata asking for it before using the restroom.

"No worries, Ms. R, I owe Aggie dear ice cream, it'll be my treat!" Richie quickly stated as Agata giggled.

"Oh, you remembered!"

"Of course he did," Eddie mumbled.

Alexandra smiled warmly at the boys, "Okay, if you insist Richie. Thank you—and also, Agata, I want you home before seven. Understand me?" with a more serious tone, Alexandra made sure that she was very solemn about her request, "You too, boys! Just because it's the fourth of July doesn't mean that" _that the clown won't kill you,_ " the curfew isn't lifted. Understand me?"

Using her motherly tone, both boys nodded their heads dutifully.

Satisfied, Alexandra smiled at the three and waved goodbye at her daughter when they began walking down the pavement, headed towards where the rest of the losers club was. And Alexandra watched them leave with her heart on her throat, nervously looking around and not noticing a red balloon floating right behind her.

* * *

When the eight losers got together, they all gathered in an alley to talk more privately while Eddie and Agata went to the nearest ice cream vendor to get their cold, sweet treats. Richie did give money to Agata for her to purchase a strawberry ice cream—her favorite was mint and chocolate but the vendor did have, as he stated rudely, "those modern tasteless flavors", but she felt a little guilty when there wasn't enough to buy Richie one as well.

Then, after purchasing his vanilla ice cream with sprinkles, Eddie surprised her by buying another one for Richie.

"I knew it, you do like him," she teased him, bumping shoulders with him.

He blushed, "N-No! I just don't want to hear him bitch about it!"

She decided to spare him from even more teasing as the two made their way back to the group. And Agata had to smile fondly when she saw Richie messing with a trump player—enough to catch the said player taking his musical instrument from Richie, who was playing it horribly.

"What the fuck, dude!" she managed to hear Richie exclaim as the guy walked away.

"What are you guys talking about?" Eddie asked as they walked up to them.

Agata took a lick from her melting ice cream and grinned when Richie approached and Eddie instantly handed him the ice cream he bought for him. No words were exchanged between the two, it was like it was a natural occurrence.

"What they always talk about," the other complained.

And Agata frowned, of course, they had to bring up the disappearances. She thought they were going to enjoy the parade together. She guessed wrong.

"I actually think it will end. For a little while, at least," Ben stated with a thoughtful expression.

"What do you mean?" Beverly asked him, intrigued.

It seems that Ben has been doing more investigation on the manner, so Agata paid close attention to his words as she licked her ice cream. What she didn't notice was the quick, nervous glances from Mike.

"So I was going over all of my data research and I charted out all the big events. The Ironworks explosion in ninety-O-eight, the Bradley Gang in 'thirty-five, and the Black Spot in 'sixty-two. And now the kids being" he didn't finish because he looked at Bill and faltered a little at the silent mention of his little brother, but the way he phrased his explanation was enough to hint at the group what he meant, "I realized that this stuff seems to happen–"

"Every twenty-seven years," Bill finished at the same time Ben did.

"Oh..." It was scary to think that her mom could've been killed by that clown twenty-seven years ago. She couldn't imagine a nine-year-old going against that monster.

They all looked at each other with understandably spooked expressions.

* * *

Agata suddenly was uncomfortable by being in an alley, so she suggested them to go to Bassey Park and take a seat in front of the Paul Bunyan Statue, where a stage with many dancers and clowns giving free balloons to children and various families were enjoying their picnics and gatherings.

The three had already finished their ice cream cones on their way here. So they were all sitting on a single bench while Richie, Eddie, and Bill rested against their bikes. Agata was sitting next to Beverly. The two had grown closer throughout the weeks after her inclusion within the group. They had a lot in common, not just because they were the only girls but because only they could talk to each other about subjects that the boys would childishly deem as 'disgusting' or that would just make them visibly uncomfortable.

Beverly found some solace in Agata. And when she invited the redhead for dinner, Alexandra was thrilled to have her as a guest. Beverly almost feared that Agata's mom wouldn't like her because of the rumors but she quickly learned that Alexandra Ray knew how this town worked because she had once escaped from it.

The two now shared a bracelet that had 'BFF' carved, and they didn't care that they only knew each other for less than a month. Their bond was made and nothing could break it.

"Okay, so, let me get this straight. IT comes out from wherever to eat kids for like, a year, and then what? IT just goes into hibernation?" Eddie asked confusedly, but also anxiously.

"Maybe it's like, what do you call it Cicadas," Stan speculated, "You know, the bugs that come out every seventeen years?"

"My grandfather thinks this town is cursed," Agata looked at Mike when he suddenly spoke up, his tone serious, "He says that all bad things happen in this town are because of one thing—an evil thing that feeds on the people of Derry."

"But it can't be one thing," Stan tried to reason, "We all saw something different."

"Maybe. Or maybe IT knows what scares us most, and that's what we see," Mike continued, gazing into the distance with a thoughtful look.

"I-I-I saw a leper," Eddie stated with an uneasy voice, "He was like a walking infection," he added. And Agata could see the haunting experience through Eddie's widened eyes.

"But you didn't," Stan insisted, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than the others, "B-Because it isn't real. None of this is," everyone looked at him doubtfully, "Not Eddie's leper, or-or Bill seeing Georgie, o-or the woman I keep seeing—"

"Is she hot?" Richie suddenly asked with a lop-sided smile.

Agata gave him an incredulous look.

And Stan's expression also shifted from a cautious one to an angry awestruck, "No, Richie! She's not hot!" he snapped sharply at him, making the other grimace, "Her face is all messed up. None of this makes any sense! They're all like bad dreams!"

"I don't think so—I know the difference between a bad dream and real life, okay?" Mike asserted with a flash of familiarity crossing his eyes.

Agata saw it, "What did you see?" she paused when everyone looked at her, "You saw something, too?" she asked him with a gentle tone. Not wanting to sound too demanding. She was more worried about him than curious about his experience with that monster.

Mike seemed to calm down under her gaze as he responded, "Yes," he paused, gulping in his fear and convincing himself that it was fine, he could trust them, "Do you guys know that burnt house on Harris Avenue? I was inside when it burned down. Before I was rescued, my mom and dad were trapped in the next room over from me. They were pushing and pounding on the door" he grimaced at the memory, and Agata frowned sadly as he continued, "trying to get to me. But it was too hot. When the firefighters found them the skin on their hands were melted down to the bone."

"Mike" Agata softly whispered. She felt nauseous, terribly sorry for what Mike had gone through, "I'm so sorry..."

He smiled sadly at her, "Thanks," and then sighed, closing his eyes for a moment to regain the strength to continue making his point, "We're all afraid of something."

"Got that right," Richie told them as he looked behind him, towards the stage.

"Why, Rich? What are you afraid of?" Eddie questioned curiously.

He stared at the stage for seconds before he turned back to them, straightening his glasses again in a nervous manner, "Clowns," he stated sourly. And that day, Agata learned something new about her crush.

She also realized that his fear couldn't be worst. He said that he hasn't witnessed anything odd or scary yet, and she prayed that he didn't. Because if Pennywise knew that his fear was clowns, then it would've been too easy for that monster to terrify him.

* * *

**Forty Minutes Later**

**5:45 PM**

When Bill told them he wanted to show them something related to the topic they were discussing, everyone re-grouped back at his place—more like his garage.

Agata took her place between Richie and Eddie as she watched Bill set up the projector on a table right in the middle of the garage, and Agata couldn't help to wonder how rich Bill's parents were to afford a projector. She didn't even know how to turn one on, and in awe, she watches Bill work on it until the wall was covered with the projector's screen.

Mike closed the garage door to seal down the remaining light coming inside as Stan covered the windows with a blanket. She had to admit that being in the dark like this was making her nervously already, but, as she felt Richie's arm brushing against hers, Agata felt a sense of comfort as well. She watched as Eddie helped Bill out with setting up everything while Ben handed Bill a slider from inside his backpack.

The poster that Ben had of an old version of the map of Derry appeared in the wall ahead of the group, and Agata squinted her eyes a little as Bill adjusted it to match the recent map, and she realized that it also showed the sewer system of the town in the form of red lines.

"Okay," Bill started, "Look" he pointed at a drawn circle labeled as the storm drain Georgie disappeared. Agata shifted uncomfortably, "T-That's where G-G-Georgie disappeared. There's the Ironworks and The Black Spot. Everywhere it happens, it's all connected by the sewers."

Agata's eyes widened when she realized Bill was right—her blue eyes wandering throughout the red lines until it reached"The Well House!" she exclaimed.

Bill looked at her, "It a-all meet u-up there," he confirmed.

"It's in the house on Neibolt Street," Stan said tensely.

"You mean that creepy-ass house where all the junkies and hobos like to sleep?" Richie asked out loud.

And at that, Eddie suddenly brought his inhaler to his mouth to suck in deeply of it, making both Richie and Agata look at him worriedly as he let out a dry, panicked cough. She quickly leaned towards him, resting a tentative hand on his back.

"I hate that place. It always feels like it's watching me," Beverly commented with a distant look.

"That's where I saw IT," Eddie told them weakly, his voice slightly raspy, "That's where I saw the clown."

"T-T-That's where IT lives," Bill told the group, and Eddie took another puff into his mouth.

"I can't imagine anything ever wanting to live there," Stan said with disgust as he recalled the house.

Agata jumped when Eddie abruptly stood from his seat, turning to look at the group while quickly walking towards the front to stand in front of the projector, "Can we stop talking about this?! I-I-I can barely breathe, this is summer, we're kids—I can barely breathe! I'm having a fucking asthma attack!" he anxiously shouted at his friends, "I'm not doing this!" he decided before turning around and rip the map from the wall.

"What the hell! Put that map back!" Bill exclaimed.

"Eddie, calm down" Agata softly told him, knowing that his asthma could only get worse if he panicked.

Eddie gave Bill a defiant look as he shook his head, "Mmm-mmm!"

Just as when things were about to escalate, the projector started going to the next slide by itself, showing new pictures—Bill's family pictures—passing by at a fast pace.

"What happened?" Bill wondered, staring at it confusedly.

"What's going on?" Agata whined fearfully. She started looking around in a paranoid manner, suddenly feeling unsafe even though she was surrounded by her friends.

The projector kept showing pictures of when the Debrough family was happy, with Georgie still alive and always smiling gleefully in each photo. Agata would've thought it was cute, but due to the circumstances, it was creepy and hard to look at.

Mike quickly stepped in and tried to see what the problem was, "I got it, hold it," he mumbled to himself as he did the best he could to fix the machine, "Guys..." he warned as the slides started going faster.

"Mike, don't touch it!" Agata hissed worriedly, afraid that something would happen to him.

The projector then stopped on a certain picture—it was a photo of the family with Georgie holding hands with both his parents in front of the church.

"Georgie," Bill stated sadly.

The picture was now being zoomed in on Georgie's face, and it was happening really fast. Agata felt Eddie tug the back of her shirtdress to back her away slightly, but it didn't help to relieve her fear.

"Bill?!" Stan called out nervously, not knowing what to do.

All they could do was watch as the projector zoomed faster by the second, but shockingly, it shifted towards Bill's mom—whose hair was moving as if a strong breeze of wind was passing by. The projector was going to fast-paced now that the picture started to look more like a video recording, and her face was beginning to shift into IT!

"What the fuck?!" Eddie yelled.

"It's IT!" Bill shouted as everyone began reacting to the face of the clown replacing Sharon Denbrough.

They were all freaking out, not knowing what to do as the reality of the monster crashed upon their frail, imaginative minds.

"What the fuck is that? WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" Richie screamed, grabbing Eddie's arm and bringing him closer in a protective manner as the jokester witnessed the clown's appearance for the first time. He was hysterical and with good reason.

"I DON'T FUCKING KNOW!" Eddie let out a shrill scream as he held onto Richie as well, both trying to keep each other strong.

"IT'S IT! THE CLOWN! OH MY GOD!" Agata screamed, full-on panicking right not as she grabbed the nearest person towards her, "OH GOD IT'S HERE!"

Richie glanced at Agata worriedly but he was glad Mike was with her—he could watch over her while he kept his eyes on Eddie, who was shaking like a leaf under his arms as he screamed with everyone else.

"Turn it off! Turn it off!" Beverly yelled urgently.

"Yeah, yeah!" Mike suddenly said, understand Beverly's idea. He guided Agata towards Richie and Eddie—the latter instantly placed her between the two—and quickly moved towards the projector, "Turn it off, turn it off!" he repeated before he kicked the projector.

Everyone watched it crash on the concrete floor from the garage. The light was still on, and now pointing at the wall in a crooked way.

Agata was catching her breath, her heart hammering loudly and too quickly to hurt a little on her chest, but she was still wary of IT's presence—even though IT no longer showed up on the screen.

Then, when Richie grabbed her shoulder and was about to tell her something, the losers heard another side start to switch again, showing a distorted photo of IT—and it looked angry.

As a slide would go, the lamp would turn off and on.

_On_, the clown was there.

_Off._

_On_, the clown was there.

_Off._

Everyone was gasping, breathing heavily and still shaken up from what just happened. But everyone knew that it wasn't over, they all stared warily at the wall with fearful expressions.

_On._

The clown popped out of the wall, now giant-sized and with a wide, toothy grin filled with sharp fangs and a predatory look in ITS golden eyes. Agata screamed and scrambled with everyone else further away as possible, she couldn't even hear her own screams as her friends.

"Run, Stanley!" she heard Richie yell.

And Stan didn't need to be told twice, he had been the closest to the projector so IT could've just snatched him up and gobbled him down like nothing—but IT was playing around with IT's food.

Agata tripped on one of the stool's legs and fell on her knees, then, she heard loud thumping coming her way and looked up to see Pennywise crawling towards her swiftly, grinning merrily as he eyes her hungrily.

**"MY MEAL! MINE!"** he growled, towering over her as she let out a pitchy scream that certainly would make her throat sore—if she survived this.

"NO, SHE'S FUCKING NOT!" Richie bellowed, throwing a chair at the back of IT's head, "FUCK OFF!"

The lights from the projector's lamp kept blinking, giving the garage full darkness for at least three seconds. It didn't seem much but when you were stuck with a monster it was enough for you to get caught.

Pennywise was distracted by Richie's audacity that IT accidentally let Agata run back to his friends, who pulled her up immediately and formed a protective shield in front of her, cornering her behind them as she sobbed her heart out, shaking from fright. IT grunted, and then looked IT's eyes onto a lamb that they forgot to guard.

Beverly Marsh—sweet Bevvy.

IT crawled towards her and growled, sounding like a lion and extending IT's arm to reach for her body while she was hopelessly trapped between IT and the wall behind her.

"Beverly!" Stan cried, fearing for her life.

"NOO! BEV!" Agata sobbed, trying to get to her whilst Richie didn't allow it.

Beverly could only cover her face with her hands as she sunk to the floor and hope for a painless death—but then Ben and Mike keenly opened the garage door, letting in sunlight and making IT vanish completely afterward.

They all looked around, confused and terrified with what just happened.

Agata hugged herself, and then she walked straight towards Richie—who quickly hugged her close to him. No words were exchanged between them, there was no need.

She watched as Beverly walked up to Ben and rested her hand on his shoulders, "Thanks, Ben," she told him earnestly, eyes still widened as she made her way to Bill to give him a tight hug.

Ben avoiding looking at them as the two embraced, comforting each other. And Mike did the same, because even though he knew Agata liked Richie and she could never like him back—and he was happy for both of them—it still hurt to see.

"Mike, your arm!" Agata suddenly gasped, half-breaking her hug with Richie to look at him gripping it painfully, "Are you okay?"

Mike managed to give her a weak smile, "'m fine."

She didn't seem convinced, but there were other matters to discuss now. For example, her face was too close to Richie's and her crush seemed to realize it as well—the two self-consciously unwrapped their arms from each other but remained close, scared to even be apart after the recent encounter.

"IT saw us," Eddie began, voice elevating as he began panicking again, "IT saw us, and IT knows where we are!" he exclaimed, looking at Bill with frightened eyes.

"IT always did," Bill stated, "S-S-So let's go," he walked out of the garage, towards where they left their bikes on the floor and turned to look at them.

"Go?" Agata repeated numbly, "Go where?"

"Neibolt," he replied with a determined look in his face, "That's where G-G-G-G-Ge-Georgie is..."

"After _that_?!" Stan questioned astonished.

"Yeah, it's summer, we should be outside..." Richie continued, making Agata nod and Bill scowl.

"If you say it's summer one more f-f-_fucking_ time," he spat before they all watched him grab Silver and ride it towards the road.

"Bill!" Agata tried calling, scared that he'd really go to that house by himself.

"Bill, wait!" Beverly joined, not wanting him to get hurt too.

But he ignored them, and Agata knew that as soon as their leader and friend disappeared around the corner, they'd follow him.

Agata just hoped to be back home before seven. Or alive.


	9. The House on Neilbolt Street

They all caught up to Bill quickly—Agata mounting on Richie's bicycle as this time, she didn't mind him going fast.

Still distraught by what occurred not even an hour ago, Agata was clinging to Richie's colorful shirt while hiding her face against his back—and Richie, who carried a sober expression, exchanged a worried look with Eddie as the shorter boy pulled up next to him, glancing at Agata concernedly. She was hesitant to come, but with some conviction from the group (and because she also feared for Bill's life), she managed to find some backbone and courage to come with them.

"Bill!"

At the sound of Beverly's shouting, Agata rose her face from Richie's back to see that they had arrived—and the house looked as scary as ever. She could hear a train passing by behind it—where the Trainyards were. And Agata tentatively looked behind her, towards the street that led to her house. After all, it was only one block away.

_If anything goes wrong we can all re-group there. Mom will be home so she'll help us._

As Richie stopped his bike, Agata instantly hopped out but remained close to him, giving Bill a stern look.

"Bill! You can't just go in there on your own!" she exclaimed pointedly.

"Yeah! This is crazy!" Beverly added as she tossed her bike on the ground, walking towards him.

Bill was already on the steps on the house as his friends approached him, giving him startled looks.

"Look, you don't have to come with me," Bill addressed them emotionally as everyone stopped to look at him, "But what happens when another Georgie goes missing? Or another Betty? Or another Ed Corcoran? Or one of us?" Agata flinched at that, "Are you just gonna pretend it isn't happening like everyone else in this town? Because—I can't," he choked a little, and Bill's blue eyes watered as he continued, "I go home, and all I see is that Georgie isn't there. His clothes, his toys, his stupid stuffed animals, but _he isn't."_

Agata teared up as well at the mention of the seven-year-old, she really missed hearing his laughter whenever he played with Duncan on her front yard. It was a shame that his name became kind of a taboo within the group—no one could say it or else everything would be ruined. But Georgie didn't deserve being forgotten just because of how painful his loss was, they needed to keep the little boy's memory alive. And even though Ben, Beverly, and Mike never got to meet him, the three felt bad for Bill. No one deserved to lose their kid sibling.

"So walking into this house, for me, it's easier than walking into my own," Bill finished, turning around to step towards the door while wiping the tears away from his eyes.

"_Wow_," Richie awed at once.

"What?" Agata asked, wiping her own tears as well.

"He didn't stutter once."

Agata paused, inwardly impressed and somehow inspired by that fact.

They all moved to follow Bill into the house, except for Stan, who brought attention to himself quickly.

"Wait!"

The seven teens turned to look at Stan, who looked pale and mildly anxious, "Uh, shouldn't we have some people keep watch?" he suggested meekly. As if he came up with it on the spot, "You know, just in case something bad happens?"

Agata pursed her lips, but she could understand why Stan didn't want to go into the house. She didn't as well, but she felt like she didn't have a choice. Her friends were going and she feared for their sake.

"W–Wh-Who wants to stay out here?" Bill asked with repressed annoyance.

Everyone but Beverly and Agata raised their hands, the two girls were surprised at that, but both managed to share a smile before Eddie's eyes widened as he reached for Agata's hand, raising her arm upwards for her.

She snatched her arm from his hold, giving him a soft glare, "No, Eddie, I want to go in," Agata really didn't, but she also wouldn't handle standing out here without knowing if her friends were safe within.

He gave her a panicked look, but she shook her head at the same time, not backing down from her decision.

Richie watched the whole exchange and wished Agata had raised her arm, if she did, then he wouldn't have to worry about her. But of course, she was acting brave. Richie knew better, he knew that she was scared shitless and that the only reason she was going inside was that she was overly caring and her protectiveness was going to be the death of her one of these days. He appreciated Eddie's attempt, though.

"Fuck," Richie cursed, realizing that if Agata was going in there was no way in hell he was staying out. And Eddie was coming in too—fanfuckingtastic.

* * *

Agata instantly scrunched her face at the disgusting smell that came from inside the abandoned house as she, Richie, Eddie, and Bill walked inside. Beverly, Ben, Mike, and Stan stayed outside—ready to come in armed with sharp objects they found in the yard if anything bad really happened.

The house was also cold, which was odd for Agata since it was summer and the weather was warm. She shivered and scooted closer to stand between Eddie and Richie, who looked around with aghast expressions.

The furniture in this house, which was bare, was either all rotten or covered with holes that insects created to make themselves home inside. Agata didn't have Ben's skills but from looking at the ugly, moldy wallpaper that was barely sticking to the walls, the rotten wood from the ceiling pillars that hardly kept the house together and the creaking from the floor—she knew this house was unsalvagable. Who'd want to have the Trainyard as their neighbor anyhow? Or even live here, this place was starting to give her the creeps and they barely walked into the foyer. Not to mention the cobwebs covering almost every inch of the ceiling above them—Agata didn't even want to think about how many families of spiders lived here.

"This is gross," she complained softly, eyeing the stained and dusty carpet below her feet with a displeased expression.

It was also dark. The house was so dark. The windows were covered with planks so only a weak, small amount of sun rays from outside managed to peek inside, illuminating the house just enough for the four to be able to see their surroundings. As Agata peered closer, she noticed the overgrown vines on the windows and the staircase to the second floor—it looked as inviting as jumping from the cliff in the Barrens again.

"I can't believe I pulled the short straw," Richie said, pretending to be whining about it although he lost on purpose. After seeing Agata and Eddie pull the short straws as well, he keenly cheated and pulled the last one for himself. Of course that Richie being Richie, he was going to complain, "You guys are lucky you're not measuring dicks," he stated, making Agata shake her head exasperatedly.

"Richie..." she sighed, not wanting to say 'shut up' but also wanting for the boy to realize that this situation was too serious for his usual quips.

"Shut up, Richie," Eddie however, didn't have enough patience to handle him right now.

The four looked around, looking for any signs or sounds from the clown. But the house was so eerily quiet that all Agata wanted to go was run back.

"I can smell it," Eddie suddenly said, gripping his fanny pack instinctively. Agata looked at him and the frightened look on his widened eyes made him look younger than he was.

Instantly, she brushed her hand against his own, offering it for him to hold as a form of comfort—and Eddie didn't hesitate when he intertwined his fingers with her own.

"Don't breathe through your mouth," Richie suddenly advised. And he sounded humorless.

"How come?" Eddie asked as he and Agata walked hand-in-hand towards an area of the floor that looked to be the den or sitting room.

"Because then you're eating it," he told him offhandedly.

Agata saw it coming, so when Eddie suddenly gagged at Richie's information and pried his hand from hers to quickly unzip his fanny pack and bring his inhaler to his mouth, she wasn't surprised. However, she did stop breathing through her mouth—trying not to think about what Richie said too much.

She turned away from Eddie and watched Richie when he walked towards the area on the other side, where the outgrown vines and cobwebs were, attaching themselves to a dirty, moldy couch. Intrigued, she followed behind, dodging a loose, ruined cobweb from touching her head as she did.

From inside the room Richie was, Agata saw him reach inside the massive cobweb and pull a paper from it—and as she was about to ask him what it was, Agata paused when she saw her crush's color drain from his face as Richie stared at the paper he was grasping around his fingers, petrified and fearful.

"Rich?" Agata called out softly, approaching him slowly as he turned towards her. She noticed that the grip on the paper was tight as if he was about to rip it to shreds at any moment.

"It-It says I'm missing..." he told her, walking towards her with a panicked face, "A-Aggie! I'm missing!" he sounded more urgent now, panicked. Agata has never seen him so scared, it immediately discomforted her.

"W-What?" Bill said, surprised at what he was telling them. Eddie and him were now standing in the doorway, having noticed that their friends discovered something.

Agata quickly moved to stand by Richie's side, and he showed her the missing poster. She frowned at his photo, his clothes description and the Tozier's household number. It was all so similar to a real poster, but Agata knew better.

"Richie, you're not missing," she promptly told him as Eddie anxiously breathed another puff from his inhaler.

"Police Department, City of Derry!" Richie quoted to her, his voice panic-stricken, "That's _my_ shirt! That's _my_ hair! That's _my _face!"

"Richie!"

"THAT'S _MY_ NAME! THAT'S _MY_ AGE! THAT'S THE DATE!" he screamed as everything from the poster kept making sense, "IT SAYS IT! WHAT THE FUCK!" he screeched as Bill and Eddie watched the two concernedly, ready to help Agata calm Richie down if necessary.

"Richie!" Agata exclaimed, finally managing to snatch the poster from his hand, ripping it in half, and letting it fall on the floor before she gently cupped his terrified face, "Richie listen to me," she kept her voice firm but calm as she spoke, "You're not missing. You're right here, right between my hands!"

"A-Am I missing? Am I gonna go missing?" Richie cried, leaning into her touch, "Aggie, I don't wanna go missing!"

Eddie covered his mouth, feeling nauseous and perturbed for Richie. His friend was always ready to give people a few laughs and quips, sure Eddie has seen Richie cry or even angry but that was a rare occurrence. Just seeing him act this way made Eddie almost cry—he wanted to reassure Richie he'd be fine but he was so terrified that it deemed him speechless.

"You won't go missing, I swear! I swear you won't, we're all here with you Richie! You're not missing, this isn't real!" she tried, constantly bringing his face closer to hers to keep her gaze steady on him, and when he stopped moving from his panic, Richie stared into her blue, comforting eyes and tried to normalize his breathing again as she continued, "It's IT, Richie, IT is doing this. That—the poster—isn't real. IT's playing tricks on you," Richie glanced at Eddie and Bill, and they both nodded as fast as they could, agreeing with Agata before he looked back at her, "Remember, IT knows how to mess with us. You're okay."

She took her hands from his cheeks, and Richie almost whined at the loss. But then he remembered that Bill and Eddie were with them and that Agata was comforting him after he freaked out. He felt better, but he was still shaken. He reached for her hands and Agata was already taking them in.

She smiled at him and squeezed them, and just when Richie was about to thank her a new voice interrupted him.

_"Hello?!"_

The four looked up, the distress call for help came from upstairs. The walked out of the room, following Bill.

_"Hello? Help me please!"_

"Oh my God," Agata whispered, feeling Richie's grip tightening.

The four stared at the staircase before they began walking up to the second floor. Their expressions were wary and mostly afraid, but Bill always managed to have a bold one that oozed of confidence.

When they reached upstairs, they all looked down the hallway from where the voice was coming from—there was a door, at the end of it, ajar. But their eyes were on the floor, where a girl—Betty _freaking _Ripson, laid, gasping for air as if she was having an asthma attack herself.

She looked at them, fear in her eyes. And Agata's stomach dropped.

"Betty?" Bill whispered.

"R-Ripson?" Richie called out meekly.

"Oh, God," Agata gasped, seeing her for the first time in months.

They all let out a startled yelp when after Betty looked at them pleadingly, something behind the wall yanked her violently back into the room, away from their eyes.

They were all silent, shoulders going up and down from their erratic breathing as they began walking towards the room to see if Betty was okay. Surely, one of them would've come to their common sense and realize this was all a trick—but alas they were still kids, and even when fake, Betty Ripson's call for help and pleading face had been real enough.

Bill, Richie, and Agata however, failed to notice Eddie leading astray as a voice that was only manipulated for his head to hear called him back.

Agata sniffed and felt something in her spine telling her to look back. So, she did and found it strange that Eddie was still in the same place where they had previously stood. She was now standing in the hall, between Bill and Richie—who continued heading towards the room—and Eddie, who had his back turned on her as he took another puff from his inhaler.

She didn't know who to follow. Eddie was by himself, but Bill and Richie were closer. Agata began panicking.

_You can't save them all, Aggie._

She whipped her head towards Eddie when she heard him hyperventilate. She made her decision.

"Guys?" she heard him call out weakly as he stared at the end of the hall.

"Eddie, I'm here!" she replied.

He looked behind, with a panicked expression. And Agata started hearing the door from the room Betty was before creaking loudly, closing on its own. She turned her head and gasped when it was almost closed, and at the same time, she heard Eddie running towards her.

"Guys! Guys!" he yelled urgently.

And Agata flinched when she felt Eddie grab her hand and pull her towards the door as both started running, she was so dumbfounded that the brunette had been paralyzed with fear.

"Guys!" Eddie screeched as the door shut closed.

"What? Eddie, Agata!" they heard Bill call out from inside the room.

Agata seemed to snap out of her stupor when she noticed the floor in front of the door fall out, instinctively she forced her body into an abrupt halt and pulled Eddie backwards—before he could fall down on that hole.

He let out a terrified scream before he looked down, "What the fuck?!"

Before any of them could react further, a barking was heard behind them. Agata and Eddie turned their heads to see Duncan—barking warningly at them. They were both shocked at the dog's sight, but Agata wasted no time with letting go of Eddie's hand and run towards her dog, terrified that the clown would get to Duncan before she did.

"Aggie, don't leave me!" Eddie screeched from behind her—or at least he tried, IT didn't allow Agata to hear him.

Duncan, when he saw Agata approach, ran inside an open room, beckoning her to follow.

"Duncan! Come here, boy! Don't go in there!" she called out desperately as she stepped inside.

Big mistake.

As soon as she did, the door slammed behind her, missing her by an inch. She screamed and quickly turned around, turning the doorknob to open it again but to avail—it was stuck. She was locked inside.

"EDDIE!" she cried while banging her fists on the door, "OPEN THE DOOR, PLEASE!"

_"Aggie..."_

She turned around sharply, pressing herself against the door as her widened, blue eyes scanned the room for any signs of life.

"D-Duncan?" she meekly called out, "Come here, boy..."

Tentatively, she stepped further into the room. It was mostly empty, the furniture that existed was covered with white sheets covered with dust and stains. But as Agata looked around, the more she realized this was starting to look like a kid's room—Georgie's age room.

_"Daddy loves you, Aggie..."_

She gasped when she heard creaking coming from behind a sheet, and it was then she realized that Duncan wasn't here. Not really. It brought both relief and fear though, that she was probably alone with that monster in the room.

_"Wanna play horsey?"_

IT kept taunting her, using a warm voice that only a good father could have. Agata was starting to crumble as she kept hearing noises all around her, she didn't know where to look anymore. She covered her face, sobbing into her hands as she tried to even her breathing.

"Aggie... sshh... it's okay, daddy's here..."

She froze as she felt a presence standing behind her. Then, a hand was placed on her shoulder, seemingly in a comforting manner, but when she finally took her hands from her face and slowly averted her eyes towards it, she could see the familiar white gloves attached to the clown arm.

She let out a pitiful cry and lurched herself forward, away from IT's touch.

Agata ran as fast as she could and felt like a trapped mouse when she reached a hiding spot in one of the corners of the room. She was hesitant to look behind her, but Agata recognized she couldn't simply face the wall forever, IT would, ultimately, get her from behind so it was hopeless for her to try to avoid IT by not looking.

Nothing was behind her when she turned. She was standing on a small space between a large, wooden wardrobe and the wall and now that she was slightly calmer, Agata realized how stupid she had been for trapping herself like this. She always rolled her eyes at the girls that got themselves killed in horror movies because they didn't think when they were running from the monster or killer—but now she knew, fear didn't allow someone to think rationally. The adrenaline inside her body was just ordering her to run and never stop.

But there was nowhere to go now.

Then, the clown began giggling. Manically. As if IT sounded like a child ready to feast on gallons of ice cream and other sweet delights. Agata's wary eyes followed the sound of various bells jiggling as the creature moved around the room, using the sheets as IT's cover on IT's hide and seek game. The laughing got louder as IT approached, and Agata started breathing erratically as she pushed herself against the wall as further as she could—she had a hopeless look at each sharp crack of twisting bones that creaked and echoed around her, it was cringy and repulsive to hear.

Tears began forming in her eyes as she saw IT's eyes, glowing in the dark before the creature appeared from the shadows caused by the poorly lit room. IT stalked towards her, with an almost possessive glare, and no matter how much she tried, Agata couldn't look away from IT's pinning eyes.

IT lurched forward too fast for her human mind to even see, grabbing her shoulders with a painful grip and hosting her up, yanking her against the wall brutally—Agata was a little winded but her adrenaline helped her recover quickly.

She was now level-head with Pennywise but Agata wished she was dead instead, IT's face was so close to hers as she could see the bloodied sharp teeth and fangs as IT grinned widely. She didn't move, only gawked, afraid that any sudden movement would beckon IT to take a bite out of her face and end it all.

"Tasty... delicious..." IT sniffed the air around her and a line of thick, gooey drool slid down the corner of IT's mouth, "You smell just like her, Aggie!"

She didn't know where the found the bravery to speak, but perhaps if she wasted time then maybe her friends could still escape, "W-Who?"

IT seemed thrilled at what she indulged, "Like mommy, like daughter always smelling so nice for Pennywise!"

Now, that got her attention, "My mom?" she gasped when IT abruptly drew her closer to IT's face, and she squirmed under his painful grip, claws starting to penetrate her skin making her shriek and moan from the pain. She kept sobbing, almost begging for this to be over.

But she didn't want to die, she wanted to see her friends and mom again and Agata didn't want to die without telling Richie about her feelings.

"Your mommy escaped me twenty-seven years ago," IT told her, tone no longer of amusement, but of resentment, "But I brought her back—oh yes I did!"

Agata noticed the wardrobes door opening on its own as Pennywise stepped back from her hiding spot, holding her so easily that if IT wanted, IT could tear her apart in seconds.

"B-Brought her back?" Agata winced, the tips of her fingers were starting to feel numb because her blood was no longer circulating through her arms from Pennywise's crushing grasp.

"Penny will be right back, then we can talk aaaaaaaaall you want! And then, you will float Aggie! You all will! Even your mommy! Even your mutt! EVERYONE WILL FLOAT!" IT yelled in her face before he tossed her inside the wardrobe, the door closing sharply before she could even look back or attempt to get out.

"LET ME OUT! NO!" Agata screamed, tears falling from her eyes again as she banged her fists against the door, "HELP ME!" it smelled like musk and it was pitch black inside—she felt desperate when only silence replied to her cries.

IT was gone.

* * *

Richie was so fucking done with this place.

First, that fucking clown almost got to him in a creepy ass room filled with even more clowns and worst—his goddamn coffin. But Bill managed to break the door handle and he escaped unclutched. Then, fake Eddie's head pops out of a mattress and he's spilling some disgusting black goo that seemed toxic enough to melt through the wood.

But the worst part was that Eddie and Agata missing.

As soon as Bill managed to realize that the three doors that Pennywise had placed in front of them weren't real—they run down the hall in search of their friends. Richie was ahead of Bill and just when they were about to go down the stairs they heard banging coming from one of the rooms behind them.

"HELP ME!"

Richie and Bill looked at each other, not knowing if this was a trick or not.

"Aggie!?" the messy-haired boy called, and the banging became even more desperate.

"RICHIE HELP ME!"

Without hesitating, and ignoring Bill's careful warnings, Richie ran and opened the door quickly, not caring at how loudly it banged on the wall, "AGATA?!" he yelled inside the room.

There was banging coming from inside the massive wardrobe, "RICHIE OVER HERE! PLEASE OPEN THE DOOR I CAN'T BREATHE!" she sounded hysterical and Richie never heard Agata sound like that. She was usually soft-spoken and never raised her voice—only if necessary.

Richie hated how Agata sounded like—she was crying but there was also shrieking and desperation.

He quickly walked towards the wardrobe as Bill stayed on the doorway, watching with uneasy eyes. What if this was another trick? He dearly hoped not.

When Richie opened the door, Agata immediately jumped on him for a crushing hug that could've knocked the wind out of him—if Richie hadn't instinctively caught her in his arms, keeping her there in a protective embrace. She was shaking, and sobbing so loud that all Richie wanted to do was hold her until her pain went away.

But there was no time, Eddie was also in danger.

He gently moved her away from his chest and cleaned her tears quickly, "Aggie, you're okay. We'll talk later but now we need to get to Eddie, okay?" he told her as carefully as he could.

Agata was still crying, but she nodded quickly. Now that she was found and not harmed, Richie grabbed her hand and guided her back out of the room, where Bill seemed relieved to see her well before leading the pair downstairs, where Eddie's terrified outcries and wheezing came from.

"Help! HELP!"

The three sprinted into a room that looked to be the kitchen, it had more light than the other rooms but that didn't seem to make the image of Pennywise towering over a crying Eddie, who was sitting on the dirty floor, pressed against the wall as Pennywise kept his hand on his face, pinning the boy there.

"E-Eddie!" Agata sobbed, her stomach dropping at the sight of her friend. He seemed so terrified and she didn't fail notice the broken arm he was nursing with his good arm—she covered her mouth as IT turned to look at Bill, to glare at him venomously.

"Holy fuck" Richie cursed as pulled Agata behind him, "Eddie!" he wanted to go help him, but there was an obstacle in the way preventing him.

"This isn't real enough for you, Billy?" IT asked with a disbelieving grin, "I'm not _real _enough for you?!" the grin was dropped as he stared at Bill.

Agata didn't know what Bill did to make the clown say that, but she swore she saw insecurity flash within the creature's eyes momentarily.

"Oh, shit..." Richie whispered.

"It was real enough for Georgie!" IT taunted, laughing mockingly in Bill's way.

And Agata gasped, not believing how cruel and nasty that had been. But she didn't have time to dwell on it when Pennywise suddenly let out a demonic screech as IT stood up, pouncing on them to kill. Richie got in front of Agata and Bill bravely shielded both of his other friends—feeling guilty for bringing them here and not wanting them to die because of him. Georgie had been enough.

Before the clown reached them though, Beverly showed up from the front of the house and let out a cry before she stabbed IT on the face with a metallic pole—Agata whined when she saw the pole impaling the clown's head through the eye socket until IT's jaw on the other side—she almost gagged if it wasn't for the fascination of seeing IT's blood float into the air instead of down IT's face.

_You will all float._

"Get Eddie! Get Eddie!" Stan yelled at them as the clown froze, letting out an echoing cry of pain.

Agata only realized that Ben, Mike, and Stan were standing on the other exit of the kitchen, staring at the creature with widened eyes. But she didn't need to be told twice, and Stan's voice seemed to have brought her down to reality.

"Eddie!" she screamed as she ran past the clown with Richie, Beverly, and Bill trailing right behind her.

When they got there, Eddie began panicking as he saw the clown recovering quickly, they all kneeled next to the shrieking boy and Agata heard everyone panic, just like in the garage. She saw Mike, Ben, and Stan freaking out as well, not knowing if they should run or stay with their friends. She couldn't blame them if they decided to run—Pennywise's guttural growls were enough to give her nightmares.

"Oh, fuck! We gotta get out of here!" Richie screamed as he grabbed Eddie and Agata's arms and brought them closer to himself.

Pennywise turned around, and the first thing Agata noticed was that IT's eyes were now bright crimson—livid. IT was angry and she almost wanted to look away from his toothy and crooked smile—pole still impaled on IT's head.

Beverly's lips quivered at the monstrous sight as she grabbed Richie's shirt from his back, trying to pull him up with trembling hands.

"Get Eddie! Let's go!" Richie barked at the group. But they were all terrified.

"Guys, watch out!" Mike warned as he saw Pennywise stalking towards them, slowly and predatorily.

"No, no, no, no!" Eddie screeched as he pulled Agata towards him, and she gladly sat in front of him, between his open legs, as a shield. Her friend already had a broken arm she didn't want anything else happening to him.

"Eddie, look at me!" Richie said as he cupped the other's chin and forced Eddie to face him, "We'll be fine!" he tried to comfort.

"He's gonna get us! GUYS! NO!" Eddie shrieked hysterically as Agata watched the clown's gloves being ripped when he formed two massive, furry hands with long claws peeking out.

"Oh God, oh God, no please" Agata sobbed, feeling Eddie wrap an arm around her torso to bring her closer to him. It was then she realized he was trying to pull her away from the approaching clown, not to use her as a shield. She would've felt thankful for it if she wasn't so scared for their lives.

Then, IT stomped it's foot at them loudly, startling and making them screech with terror as IT roared. Agata heard Beverly let out a scared exhaled as she backed herself against the wall to create space between them as the clown laughed childishly at their expense.

The laughter stopped when Pennywise abruptly swung his arm at Ben and Agata's eyes widened when the massive claw created three deep gashes across her friend's chest and belly.

"Ben!" Eddie bellowed.

"Ben!" Bill cried, afraid for his friend.

"MIKE! HELP HIM!" Agata begged, looking at the farmer with watery eyes. Mike nodded and was instantly helping Ben up—who was a little stunned by what just happened to even react to his fresh wound.

"Ben!" Eddie continued, wanting nothing to run up to him and help him as well. He felt so hopeless.

Agata watched, while Richie tried to calm Eddie down behind her, as IT walked backwards out of the room, doing a weak bow as if the show was over—she didn't believe that for one bit. IT was clearly injured, that's why he was leaving the room. Beverly really got IT and Agata starting thinking that maybe this clown wasn't as strong as it seemed.

As IT finally disappeared from their sight, everyone began collecting themselves as they still cried, shaking from fear from what they just witnessed. Agata turned around, paying attention to Eddie now as Richie re-cupped the shorter boy's face to make him face his own instead where IT had vanished into. Eddie was a mess, he was having a panic attack and, at the same time, he was in pain because of his broken arm.

Agata gently started shushing him when Bill suddenly rose from Eddie's side, walking after IT and shocking everyone.

"Don't let IT get away!" he said as he followed after the clown.

Everyone freaked out, yelling and crying for him to return, but Bill ignored them.

Agata replaced Bill's spot and placed a hand on Eddie's shoulder "Eddie, sshh, sweetie listen to me! You need to breathe!" she cooed gently.

"Bill! We have to help Eddie!" Beverly screamed, looking at where their leader had gone to.

Seconds later, and thankfully, Bill returned. He ran towards them and bent next to Beverly, who was watching the whole situation with a panicked expression.

"No! No!" Eddie shrieked in anguish, realizing what Beverly had insinuated.

Agata winced at his yell, but she still remained by his side.

"I'm gonna snap your arm into place!" Richie told him, and Agata knew he was really going to do that.

She paled, "Oh, Richie do you know what you're doing?!" she squealed.

That question fed Eddie's fear, he glared warningly at Richie, "RICH, DO NOT FUCKING TOUCH ME! DO _NOT_ TOUCH ME!" he yelled at Richie, and Agata never wanted to hear Eddie use his voice to sound like that ever again.

But Richie was panicking as well, he just wanted to help Eddie but he was scared he'd make it all worst, "Okay, one, two, three!" he sputtered, ignoring Eddie's struggling and snapping the broken arm back into place.

The sound was sickening, it made Agata almost gag at the way Eddie's bone moved inside his skin—but at least it looked like a normal arm again.

What wasn't normal, however, was the intense screech Eddie let out in agony and distress from the pain he felt.

They wasted no time in getting out of the house afterwards, spriting like someone was giving free ice cream outside as Richie was in the lead with Agata right behind him.

He jumped all of the porch steps while screaming 'holy shit'.

Agata noticed that the sun was almost setting and that they were all probably breaking curfew.

They all got into their bikes and this time Agata got to ride her own when Mike placed Eddie on the basket that he used to carry meat around town, Eddie fit perfectly there and Agata might've thought it was cute if they weren't all traumatized by what just happened. So Agata rode Eddie's bicycle.

"My place! It's the closest!" the told everyone out loud as she began pedaling up the street, and quickly enough everyone followed.

Her mom would be home, she'd know what to do. But what was Agata going to tell her? That they were attacked by a monster that dresses up as a clown? That they were playing and suddenly got attacked? Agata couldn't think straight, she couldn't even hear Richie calling for her.

"Aggie, hold up!"

She didn't. Agata was so scared. She just wanted to be embraced by her mom.

* * *

Her mom wasn't home.

Either was Duncan. She must've taken him for a walk.

Bad timing.

But she let her friends in with the key under the mattress, they all ran inside as if the clown was still after them and Bill helped Eddie sit down on the couch. Agata quickly went over the kitchen and got herself a glass of water, she drunk it all and almost dropped the glass in the sink when Beverly suddenly walked up from behind her—the two instantly hugged.

They held each other for a while, comforting and calming the other as the boys talked in the living room about what they were going to do.

Agata found Stan speaking with Mrs. Kaspbrak on the phone when she and Beverly walked out the kitchen, it seems that they decided to call Eddie's mom because he couldn't stop telling them that his arm still hurt.

When Mrs. Kaspbrak arrived, her mom still wasn't home. Which made Agata anxious because maybe her mom would've been able to diffuse the situation.

"You. _You_ did this!" Eddie's mom yelled at the group, grabbing the back of Eddie's neck and pushing him towards her car.

Agata didn't like that one bit.

"You know how delicate he is!" Sonia continued.

"We were attacked, Mrs. K," Bill tried to reason.

"No. Don't!" she interrupted him, opening the door of her car and pushing Eddie inside, who quietly just took the passenger seat as he heard his mom snark at his friends, "Don't try and blame anyone else!" She closed the door and turned to grab her car keys but they fell out of the pavement.

Beverly quickly stepped into to reach for them, "Let me help—"

"No,_ get back_!" Sonia barked at her, startling Beverly and making the girl take a step back.

"Oh, I've heard of you, Ms. Marsh," Eddie's mom sneered with a nasty smile as she stared at Beverly with malice in her dark eyes, "And I don't want a dirty girl like you touching my son."

Agata had enough, she clenched her fists and spoke up, "She's not dirty!"

Sonia snapped her head towards the shorter girl and glared. Agata deflated under it.

"You can even be worst than a dirty girl, Ms. Ray, because with a Godless mother and no father raising you right—you'll end up serving in the streets as a wh–"

"Mommy!" Eddie whined, pretending that his arm was hurting so that his mom wouldn't finish that sentence.

But the message was received, and Agata was trying not to tear up in front of this woman. Why did it seem to matter that her mom doesn't care much about religion? Everyone in the group seemed to be either glaring at Sonia Kaspbrak or regarding her with surprise as Eddie's mom turned around to check on Eddie.

"Mrs. K, I..." Bill tried to say something, but his stuttering didn't allow him before Sonia yelled at him again.

"No! You are all monsters! All of you! And Eddie is done with you. Do you hear? Done!" she snarled. She circled her car as fast as her fat legs allowed and got inside the driver's seat, slamming the door and making Agata wince.

She looked at Eddie through the window and saw that he was crying and she felt so bad for him, to have a mother like Sonia Kaspbrak.

She drove off, leaving some tire marks on the road, and left the group behind. They all stood in the middle of the road, watching her car disappeared around the corner. And Agata sniffed, feeling too many emotions at the same time. But, she was just mostly tired.

"I saw the well."

Agata and the others looked at Bill as he turned towards them with a determined expression.

"W-W-W-We know where IT is and next time we'll be better prepared," Bill told them as a matter-of-factly.

"No!" Agata blinked with shock at Stan's sudden outburst, "No next time, Bill! You're insane!" he yelled at the stutterer with a distressed expression.

Agata sensed a fight coming.

"Why?" Beverly spoke up, "We all know no one else is going to do anything."

"Eddie was nearly killed!" Richie yelled, joining in the argument as he gestured towards the road where Sonia's car sped off into, then he gestured towards Ben's exposed belly from his ripped shirt, "And look at this motherfucker! He's leaking Hamburger Helper!"

Agata glanced at Ben's wounds and cringed, they needed to clean that soon.

"We can't pretend it's gonna go away! Ben, you said it yourself, IT comes back every twenty-seven years," Beverly continued, looking at Ben with a hopeful expression.

Ben, however, wasn't really keen on agreeing with her after being sliced on his stomach—again, "Fine! I'll be forty and far away from here! I thought you said you wanted to get out of this town, too!" he reminded her.

"Because I wanna run towards something. Not away," she retorted.

"Guys, please calm down. Let's go back inside and talk about this," Agata tried, but everyone was too shaken by what happened in Neibolt.

"I'm sorry, who invited Molly Ringwald into the group?" Richie quipped, only half-serious, as he looked at Stan.

Beverly flipped him off.

"Guys! Please! We can't fight about this we—"

"We what? Aggie?! Do you want us to sit on the grass and make flower crowns as we discuss the lovely events that we just went through?" Richie snarked at her, eyes widened, "You were locked inside a_ fucking_ closet! IT put you there! There's something about you that IT wants!"

Agata flinched at his tone, but deep down she knew he was right. He seemed to have regretted yelling at her, but there was no going back.

"Richie..." Stan tried, seeing his best friend spiraling.

"I'm just saying, let's face facts," Richie resumed, turning towards the group, "Real world—Georgie is dead," he stated, making Agata anxiously glance at Bill, "Stop trying to get us killed, too," he was about to walk away but Bill stepped in front of him with an irritated expression.

"Georgie's not dead!" he blurted.

Richie scowled at him, "You couldn't save him, but you can still save yourself," he advised Bill before attempting to walk away again, but Bill lost his patience and moved in front of him again.

"No, t-t-t-take it back!" he shouted, "You're scared and we all are but take it back!" Bill emphasized the last part by pushing Richie away in a rough manner.

Agata gasped, but as she did, Richie lost his temper as well and instantly rushed towards Bill, shoving him back as well.

Then—Bill struck Richie in the face, and Agata cried when he dropped down on the road harshly, right in front of her.

"Bill!" Agata screamed at him, eyes filled with anger and frustration as Stan and Mike helped Richie up.

"You're just a bunch of losers!" the boy accused at once.

Bill advanced towards Richie, lifting his fist to hit him again. But Ben seized him from behind and dragged him back, trying to avoid conflict.

"FUCK OFF!" Richie screamed as Stan and Mike kept him back.

"And you'll get yourselves killed trying to catch a fucking clown!" Richie continued yelling as his voice cracked.

Agata couldn't take it any longer, "Richie, stop, please..." she whispered near him, and when he looked at her pleading face, Richie's angry face crumbled into a weak one.

"Stop!" Beverly exclaimed, causing everyone to stare at her, "This is what IT wants..."

Richie shrugged off Mike's and Stan's grasp and fixed his glasses to gaze from Agata to Beverly with an annoyed expression.

"IT wants to divide us. We were all together when we hurt IT. _That's_ why we're still alive!" Beverly continued, peering at each of their grimaces to make sure she was being heard.

"Yeah? Well, I plan to keep it that way!" Richie snapped at her, finally marching past Bill (and slamming his shoulder into the other) towards his bike on Agata's front yard.

Stan followed him, siding with Richie.

Then, Ben.

Agata hurriedly ran towards Richie, retaining her eyes on the road to avoid looking at anyone as she did. And even though the messy-haired boy was already sitting on his bike and ready to leave, he stopped for her.

"Richie are you okay?" she asked him gently, brushing off his hair from the cut Bill had delivered him from the blow.

He winced but didn't recoil away from her touch, "I need to get out of here. Please tell me you're not siding with Bill on this" he gave her a pleading look, scared to even think about Agata going after the clown without him being there to protect her.

She was quiet for a moment, before shaking her head, "I don't ever want to see that monster again.

He relaxed at her reply, and nodded before she stepped back and allowed him to pedal out of her lawn, "I'll call you later," he hastily said before speeding off.

"Bye Agata," Stan bid her with a small smile as he passed by her on his bike as well, trailing after Richie.

"See ya, Agata," Ben told her softly as he followed Stan with his own bike.

She watched them leave with a sad smile before turning back to the road, where three remained. But Mike was already making his way towards her—towards his bicycle behind her.

"Mike..." Beverly called desperately.

"Guys" Mike turned to look at them with a foiled expression as Agata observed from her yard, "I can't do this. My granddad was right. I'm an outsider. Gotta stay that way," he told them with a defeated tone before proceeding making his way back.

When he approached Agata, he paused to look at her, eyes softening quickly.

"Mike you don't have to be an outsider. We're friends now," she tenderly told him as she plastered on a small smile.

He smiled back, but wistfully, "Goodbye, Agata."

And with that, Mike hopped on on his bike and left the three behind, never looking back. He wished he could've though, just to give Agata Ray, the first girl he ever liked, one last look.

Agata already felt Bill's and Beverly's eyes on her before she even looked at the two. They were giving her hopeful expressions, and Agata stepped back, towards her house.

"I'm sorry, I can't..." she told them, trying not to cry, "I'm sorry" tearing up for letting them down, Agata turned and ran inside her house, closing the door behind her and running upstairs to her bedroom.

She didn't dare to look out of the window to see if Beverly and Bill were still standing in the middle of the road—she just closed herself in her bedroom and launched herself on her bed, taking comfort around her pillows and stuffed animals—especially the one Stan gave her on her birthday.

Agata couldn't believe that the group was disbanded, just in one moment, that clown had managed to break a bond that the Losers had—and she knew Beverly was right on that aspect, this is what IT wanted. Because they were stronger together.

She began crying, standing up from her bed and move towards her vanity desk to sit in front of it. The diary her mom bought her for her birthday was closed, with a pen next to it. Agata has been writing on it since March and she found out her mom was right about writing her feelings—it helped a little.

So, she opened the cover into a free page and began writing down everything she was feeling. From the events that happened today to the fight between Bill and Richie and finally, her fears.

And as she kept writing, Agata remembered what the clown told her. About her mom. She instantly stopped crying, becoming intrigued instead.

What was her mom hiding from her?


	10. The Oath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I cannot believe I managed to finish the first part of this story! Thank you so much for your support. Another chapter will be posted in a few hours to show you Agata's life throughout the 27 years until 2016.
> 
> This is my longest chapter ever! It has 16k words and it took me almost 3 days to write it (omg). Enjoy!

**Saturday, July 14th, 1989**

**4:22 PM**

The Losers haven't hung out together ever since the big fight from last week.

Sure, Agata talked with Richie and met up with him at the arcade, observed him play Street Fighter and then mindlessly chinwagged, avoiding mentioning Bill while they had ice cream at the Bassey Park. It was awkward for Agata to remain neutral. Sure, she was on Richie's side. Agata didn't want to confront that monster ever again and she still believed Bill was insane to go after IT, but, at the same time, she still cared and loved Bill as a friend.

Agata was torn. In an unfortunate predicament.

She hasn't seen Eddie ever since his mom snatched him away. Beverly was avoiding everyone except for Bill. Ben shut himself inside the library again. Mike didn't leave the farm and Stan busied himself with practicing his Tohra reading for his Bar Mitzvah.

She dearly hoped Bill wasn't intending on doing something stupid on his own.

Agata was waiting for Richie to come to pick her up on his bike so they could hang out at the Alladin Theater. They were going to try and sneak inside to view 'Nightmare on Elm Street 5'. But she decided to write in her diary first before he arrived. Which by the time, would be in ten minutes.

Her mom already left for work an hour ago and she'd only return at nine, so Agata wanted to spend as much time outside her house as she could to avoid feeling watched.

She knew IT was still out there, preying and observing. Taunting her in the darkness and her dreams—she's been having odd ones recently.

_Agata was in a very familiar park, and she knew she was in Derry. She was standing on a badly lightened path, the light above in the street light flickered—and then, a little girl that looked no more than nine years old would suddenly appear, walking her way, but without noticing Agata ahead. Then, the clown would show up from the forest branded in the middle of the park, beckoning the little girl to follow him into a dense woods where no one would see her. Agata would always attempt to grasp for the little girl—to rescue her. Her voice didn't work in the nightmare and, no matter how fast she rushed towards her—Agata's body would not move._

_Agata would always wake up whenever she heard the little girl scream._

Then, she realized, the little girl was her mom. Twenty-seven years ago.

Agata wrote her dream in her diary, she was scared to forget about it. But she was even more cautious about facing her mom about it. Agata thought that if her mom hadn't brought it up yet was because of a good reason. But the teen wanted to find out the motive behind these illusions that Pennywise insisted on projecting onto her mind almost every night.

Was it a warning?

She positively knew it was related to what the monster told her back in Neibolt, and when Agata finally realized that the reason why her great-grandfather abruptly died, causing her mom to return to Derry, might've been foul play from the clown itself.

Her mom escaped Pennywise twenty-seven years ago, and then she left Derry when she was eighteen. From an old photo album that Alexandra had once shown her daughter, Agata knew that her mom ran away from her abusive grandfather's grasp and traveled across the country in the seventies, five years before Agata was born.

_"You aren't supposed to exist!"_

On a stormy afternoon, two years ago, her mom told her about the people she met while she traveled from Maine to New York by hitchhiking—the small towns she lingered and worked in for a few months to get enough money to hit the road again. Agata inwardly wondered if her mom met her father along the way, but she didn't dare to bring up that subject.

Agata didn't want to be a burden or an annoyance about it to her mom. She worked so arduously to provide for both of them and the last thing Agata wanted was to press her mom to tell her about her mysterious father.

But it was clear the issue was a big deal for Agata—Pennywise had used it against her. Even Mrs. Kaspbrak took a jab at it.

Agata sighed and closed her diary. She rose from her vanity mirror desk and glanced at the mirror for the last time before departing to go meet up with Richie.

She had donned an oversized white 'Karate Kid' t-shirt tucked in her denim skirt with her white hush puppies slip-on loafers. She thought she looked pretty but then Agata remembered Richie wouldn't compliment her, because even though she was dressing up for him, he was the type of boy to not even glimpse at what she was wearing.

"Sorry boy—but you're staying home today," Agata told Duncan after she descended the stairs, towards the front door. Her heart tugged at his whining but she still needed him home in case Pennywise had any awful ideas. She knew that the shape-shifting clown stalked children so Agata knew her loyal dog would be safer at home.

As she opened the front door, Duncan sat on the carpet and whimpered again as he watched his girl step outside. Agata gave him a reassuring smile before she shut the door closed when she was finally outside. She sighed, turning to lean against the door, and watched the end of the road, expecting to see Richie approaching her house at any instant.

Even after everything, she still felt butterflies on her belly whenever she saw Richie Tozier park his bike by the curb in front of her house, grinning at her in a way that showed his cute bucked front teeth.

* * *

**6:44 PM**

"It wasn't that scary, Aggie!"

"You're right, it was more goofy than scary."

"Yeah, I know right?"

The five o'clock session had just finished and Agata was making her way out of the Alladin with Richie walking right next to her. His bike was chained in a post in front of the building so they made their way towards it. Agata discarded the rest of her salty popcorn on the trashcan nearby and beamed at Richie, who was grinning at her already.

"But man, Freddy Krueger is still cool, right?" he resumed, still high on succeeding to sneak inside a rated R movie.

Agata's smile staggered, "Heh I guess..." she felt like she was already existing in a horror flick of her own, but she had to admit that spending time with Richie—just the two of them—was pleasant. She could even giddily fantasize that this was a date.

She missed the rest of the Losers, though.

Richie noticed her swift change of expression, he leaned his shoulder against the post and gave her a solemn look, "Are you okay, Aggie?"

Agata sighed, not being able to conceal her genuine emotions from her crush, "I just miss _them_," she confessed.

He nodded, because even though he was still mad at Bill—he missed hanging out with his friends too. And he missed Eddie so much, as well. After what happened to him the other day with Bower's cousin, Richie has been feeling disoriented about his own true emotions, and even after carving his initials along with the other two initials as well, he was now even more perplexed about the whole situation he was going through by himself.

Richie would shake it off though, he couldn't think about that right now.

"We're gonna see Stanley soon, at his Bar Mitzvah, remember?" he offered while rearranging his glasses, hoping to console her.

That elicited a genuine smile from Agata, "Oh, yes! I can't wait for that—pity that my mom can't make it, but it was sure nice of your mom to take me."

Richie pursed his lips, "Honestly I think she likes having you around. Ever since my sister left for college she's been missing having a daughter around."

Agata didn't know much about Stephanie Tozier—she only knew that Richie's sister was five years older and intelligent enough to go to Med School in Portland with a full scholarship.

"She has you, and you're a handful so I bet your mom won't miss your sister that much," Agata quipped, evoking a chuckle from Richie.

"I guess you're right..." he drawled, looking at her softly.

That gaze made Agata blush, and she suddenly felt anxious about speaking. She knew she had to confess her feelings for Richie one day, Agata couldn't handle feeling like this every time they were alone or talked to each other.

"Fucking shit Tozier, and here I thought you were a _faggot_."

The once rosy cheeks from their faces drained quickly at the intruding, snarking voice. They glanced at the entrance of the Aladin to see Henry Bowers, still bruised in his head from the rock war and fortunately standing alone and with a can of Coke on his right hand. He was smirking at Agata, nodding approvingly.

"She might not have her tits out yet, but I'd stop being a fairy too just so I could touch a pretty little thing like Agata Ray."

Agata gasped, horrified and suddenly regretting bringing short shorts—but she didn't have time to feel self-conscious about it because she had to grab Richie's arm when her crush was about to move towards the bully to probably swing at him for his disgusting choice of words.

Henry seemed amused, he even casually sipped from his Coke before speaking, "Maybe I misjudged ya," he looked at Agata and winked, "Nice legs, toots."

And with that, Henry Bowers walked away—and Agata bid him good riddance.

She panicked when Richie began trying to pry his arm out from her hands, he wasn't speaking—but he looked absolutely enraged. And Agata knew that when Richie was silent he seethed, it meant that he was about to use his fists instead of his words.

"Richie, forget about him!" she pleaded, "Please!"

He looked at her with a glare that wasn't directed at her, "But—"

"Take me home..." Agata wheedled, opting to use a sweeter but urgent tone. And when Richie's eyes softened, she knew he was considering it, "Please..." Agata added, whispering tenderly.

Richie sighed and gave up on pursuing after the bully. He complied, taking Agata home and she hugged him from behind while sitting on the back of his bike, squeezing him and nuzzling her nose on his back as she could still feel his muscles tense from the previous distasteful encounter.

* * *

It was near seven when they reached her house—Agata, of course, didn't want to be alone so she invited Richie to stay for dinner.

While he called his house to warn his parents, Agata warmed up the chicken alfredo her mom cooked for her dinner before leaving for work, then she filled Duncan's bowl with food and gave him more water as well and when she was placing two plates on the kitchen's island Richie walked in, instantly greeting Duncan by patting the dog's head as he passed by him while he ate.

"Your parents let you stay?" Agata inquired, giving him a hopeful look.

Richie nodded with an easy smile, seemingly calmer now, "Yeah, but I have to be home before nine," he said while peeking curiously into the pot being heated on the stove, he wanted to know what smelled so good.

Agata smiled, "Okay! I can ask my mom to drop you home, she won't mind."

Usually, Richie would've said _'it's fine I can go by myself'_ but now that both teens knew about the unspoken entity that fed on Derry's children he didn't protest about it. Richie even welcomed the gesture.

After they ate, the two decided to hang out in the living room with the television turned on as background noise. Duncan was lying quietly under the coffee table, safeguarding the two while resting at the same time.

Agata didn't neglect the way her heart hammered promptly when Richie extended his arm behind her head, on the couch. And when Richie neared closer as he mindlessly talked about how close he was to reaching his high score in 'Street Fighter', Agata could only concentrate on the sensation of his hand hovering on her shoulder—so close to just rest there.

Boldly, Agata leaned her back on the couch and let her head sink on his arm—and Richie froze. She assumed she made things awkward, but then Agata felt his hand gently set on her shoulder, and before Agata could react, Richie drew her towards him.

Instinctively, Agata let her head gently lean on his shoulder as he continued holding her. And that was it—they were both comfortable and there was no awkwardness about it.

Richie continued speaking, and Agata closed her eyes in peace while listening to his blabbering.

It didn't seem like they almost died last week, this is what summer should be about. Hanging out with your friends late into the evening and not having a care in the world because you're young and free. But Agata was mature enough to know this wouldn't later. The Losers were still separated and there was still a child-eating clown out there, hunting. But right now she decided to forget about her problems—it might've been a selfish thing to do, but she found herself not caring as she snuggled closer to Richie, her cheek touching the skin on his arm. He felt warm, and she could tell he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt freshly washed, it smelled like fabric softener and flowers.

Agata liked to think that he dressed his best for today just for her. But, of course, that was only something she could hope for.

As Richie rambled, she found herself growing weary, but not of his voice, he could listen to her trashmouth all day—she was just tired, emotionally drained even. And she didn't know when, but when sleep consumed her entirely, no nightmares from Pennywise were displayed in her subconscious state.

* * *

**9:33 PM**

Alexandra was exhausted after her shift, but after working in the diner for officially a year now she was more familiar to the costumers and knew how to take things easier.

When she opened the front door of her house, she was surprised to find the lights turned off. She grew worried quickly, thinking that Agata wasn't home. And as Duncan sauntered towards her, greeting his owner excitedly and giving her a warm welcome home, Alexandra quickly patted his head while she closed the door again.

Her mind was growing anxious but as the thirty-six-year-old woman made her way further into her house, she noticed that there was a light source coming from there—via the television. She circled the couch and her knees almost gave up from the relief of seeing her daughter.

But Alexandra's concern was quickly replaced with amusement when she noticed Richie Tozier as well. The two were sleeping, quite peacefully. And she almost gushed at the sight, both were sitting close together and while Agata's head rested on his shoulder, Richie's head was on top of her daughter's. Alexandra realized that her daughter probably invited the boy to stay with her, she did say they were going to hang out together today.

Duncan's waggling tail hit her leg, and Alexandra smiled down at her pet, "It would be a shame to wake them up, wouldn't it, boy?" she uttered at him, voice laced with tenderness.

However, as a responsible adult, she walked up to her landline phone and quickly called the Tozier residence. Richie's mom picked up, and Alexandra first greeted her kindly before realizing that Maggie Tozier was worried about her son's whereabouts. After five minutes on the phone with Maggie, Alexandra was quick to calm her down when she explained the reason why her son hadn't make it home before nine as he had promised to do. Maggie was relieved and thankful when Alexandra offered to take her son in for the night and bring him home after breakfast.

Before hanging up, Alexandra thanked Maggie once again for taking Agata to Stan's Bar Mitzvah next week.

Then, she pondered if she should wake up the kids and tell them to go to bed—but then Alexandra wasn't sure if it was a good idea for Richie and Agata to share a bed. She liked Richie—if her daughter ended up dating him, Alexandra would be thrilled! But they were also full of hormones and her protective motherly side kicked in.

So, Alexandra eventually placed a wool blanket on top of the two, carefully took Richie's glasses from his face and let them sleep where they were. But also, mischievously, she grabbed her polaroid camera and snapped an instant photo of the two. This was a cute one to add to the album, Alexandra had left a few pages of their album all about Agata. There were photos there of the Losers, her alone posing in many places, some silly photos that her friends took when Agata took the camera to the Barrens—even one that Agata avoided looked at of her, Bill, and Georgie posing with Duncan.

Alexandra smiled, looking at the photo and realizing how quickly her little girl was growing. She felt bittersweet for a moment—that is until she felt some wet and stick on her fingers, in the back of the picture. She furrowed her eyebrows confusedly and turned it around—and to her horror, written very aggressively and in blood was a single word that caused goosebumps all over her body and her stomach to drop unpleasantly.

**'MINE'**

She gasped and let the picture fall on the floor as if it had shocked her, but she quickly picked it back up when Duncan was about to sniff it—and the writing was gone.

But a malicious giggle could be heard echoing through her mind.

She frowned as Duncan growled warningly towards the hall, his animal instincts sensing something wrong. And Alexandra calmly shushed him, glancing at the two children and the lightless hall as well.

She could feel that monster, watching her from the darkness.

But Alexandra wasn't scared—she was furious.

"If you even dare to lay a _fucking_ finger on my daughter and her friends, I will find a way to _fucking_ kill you," the threatened, her voice lowering to show how deadly serious she was about her warning.

Duncan suddenly relaxed, and Alexandra felt IT vanishing from her house. Her shoulders sagged from relief, and she gripped the photograph close to her chest, protectively.

Alexandra needed to find a way to either escape this town or kill IT for good before that monster got to his daughter.

Little did she know, IT already did.

* * *

**Tuesday, August 22nd, 1989**

**5:33 PM**

It's been seven weeks ever since the Losers parted ways after the big fight between Bill and Richie in front of her house. Agata missed hanging out with all of them at the same time. It wasn't the same as she hanging out with Richie at the arcade, go to Beverly's when her dad wasn't home and jam to 'Siouxsie and the Banshees' or 'Psychedelic Furs', bird-watching with Stan and even chill at the clubhouse with Eddie—sometimes with Richie too. Or even with both of them, because Agata enjoyed watching them bicker like an old married couple.

Ben told her that he was going to summer school for History four weeks ago, and Agata hasn't seen him around much ever since, which was disheartening for her.

But what was still fresh in her memory, that had affected her the most after the group's break-up, was seeing Eddie for the first time since the big fight.

_Three weeks ago, Agata was walking down the busy Center Street after doing some grocery shopping for her mom—who had left the list of what Agata needed to buy along with the necessary money—when she saw a familiar boy leaving the Center Street Drugstore. Agata stopped walking, freezing in place as she watched Eddie sigh and turned to walk her way._

_And when Eddie noticed her, his dull expression brightened immediately. Except, Agata still remembered what Sonia Kaspbrak and her yelling had frightened her enough for Agata to turn around and pace quickly in the opposite direction._

_She ignored Eddie shouting for her name and it stung to do it. She just didn't want to be humiliated again—she was terrified his mom would find out that she was talking to her son again, come to her house and yell degrading slurs in her face again._

_Agata knew Eddie enough to know he'd run after her, even with his cast. So she tried to hide in one of the many alleys and hope he hadn't seen her. She planned to use the alley to reach the other side of the building but what she wasn't expecting was to feel Eddie's good hand grasp for her wrist._

_"AGATA DON'T LEAVE!"_

_His scream had echoed through the alley, only for them to listen. And Agata turned around to give him a shocked look—he was crying, tears still falling from the corner of his eyes as he looked at her desperately._

_"Please don't leave. Stay. Please..." Eddie begged as he tightened his hold on her wrist._

_Agata dropped the plastic bag that contained her groceries and instantly pulled Eddie into a hug, carefully minding his cast as she did. Immediately, he wrapped his good arm around her torso and hid his face on her collarbone—sobbing a little with relief._

_She's had enough._

_She felt so terrible for making Eddie cry. Agata felt so guilty when she realized what she had tried to do! He was her friend, one of her best. They were both Losers—she shouldn't allow anyone to stay in the middle of them, even if it was Eddie's horrible mother._

_"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry!" she cried, "That was stupid, I'm not leaving, I swear!" Agata assured him quickly before pressing her lips into his cheek for a platonic kiss._

_Eddie managed to smile and leaned into her again, relieved to finally be able to talk with one of the people that actually loved him._

After that moment, Eddie promptly apologized for what his mom had disgustingly spat at her. Agata accepted it but she knew she would forever hate Sonia Kaspbrak. Not only for the mean things she barked at Beverly and her—but for treating Eddie as if he was made of porcelain.

He was so strong, much stronger than he looked. And Agata hoped Eddie, one day, would see that.

Today was a boring day for Agata, she was at home, writing in her diary inside her bedroom. Duncan was lying on her bed, watching her. Today she had no plans to meet up with the rest of the losers.

She closed her diary when she was done and sighed, leaning back into the chair. Agata couldn't help but have a bad feeling—it was like it prickled her nape, and it began this morning when she woke up.

Her mom had noticed, and by her expression, it seems that Alexandra was experiencing the same prickling bad feeling. She went to work with her heart on her throat, always worrying about her daughter each second ever since she left home for work.

It was like today wasn't going to be as boring as Agata thought.

Then, the phone rang downstairs.

Duncan's head perked up at the sound as Agata rose from her desk to quickly pick up the call before it was dropped. Duncan followed after her, as usual, and she couldn't help to feel a sense of dread about this phonecall.

She reached for the phone on the wall and guided it to her ear. And quickly enough, Bill's urgent and compelling voice made her stomach drop.

_"IT got Bev, Agata! We're all gonna go the Neilbolt!"_

She forgot how to breathe for a moment. Pennywise got Beverly. The Losers were all getting back together to rescue her. This was it—the stinging feeling that clung to her all day. She closed her blue eyes, took a deep breath, and when Agata re-opened she carried a determined expression.

"I'm on my way," she told Bill right away. Her house was nearest to Neibolt's—just a block away, she could run and meet up with them there. But she needed to prepare first.

As soon as she hung up, Agata ran upstairs with a now more agitated Duncan following behind. He could feel his owner's anxiety and indomitable energy and he was ready to protect her. Agata quickly took her pajama off and donned an olive green rib skater dress with a scoop neckline and a fluted skirt that allowed her to move her legs more freely and underneath she wore her knee-length white leggins. After slipping on her sneakers on, she tied her long hair with the red ribbon Eddie had complimented her about and quickly dumped all the contents inside her school backpack on her bed to put things that could help her manage through the sewers and fight that clown.

A torch, batteries, her mom's taser—she cringed at the thought of her mom grounding her forever when she came back—if. Agata was beginning to realize that she might die today, and for a reason that she was still too young to understand, Agata wasn't afraid. Not anymore. So she left a note to her mom, explaining why she wasn't home and finally telling her the truth about what happened this summer. Agata felt guilty doing it via a letter, but she had no time, Beverly was in danger.

She was ready to go, but then Duncan barked warningly at her before she even reached the front door. And Agata frowned.

She had a decision to make.

Agata couldn't bare losing Duncan, and Pennywise could easily get to her loyal dog and even use him against her, as IT had done in Neibolt. So she let out a small sob, turned around and quickly kneeled on the carpet in the foyer, giving Duncan a tight hug.

A goodbye hug.

"I love you, Duncan, you're such a good boy. Take care of mom for me if I don't come back, okay?" she whispered, and hearing her dog whined in response was all Agata needed to stand up and leave her house flying—closing the door in time before Duncan could, stubbornly, try to go as well.

She bolted out of her front yard, ignoring his barking coming inside the house, and ran down the street towards Neilbolt—and the air around her shifted, it got heavier, even for a summer day.

IT was watching her. She didn't care.

Agata gave her best glare ahead of her, hoping that Pennywise would get the message.

Don't mess with the Losers Club.

* * *

Luckily enough, Agata arrived there at the same time the boys were dropping their bikes on the pavement—and Agata quickly glomped Mike, who was armed with his bolt gun, into a hug. He seemed surprised at first, but Mike quickly hugged her back, happy to see Agata again after weeks.

After hugging him, Agata smiled at him, "Good to see you again, Mike!"

Mike was amazed that, even after not seeing his crush for a month, she still accomplished to give him butterflies, "You too, Agata..."

"Great! Now that we're all done with the politely greeting, can we get inside this fucking house and save Beverly?" Richie interrupted, his voice laced with sourness.

Mike gave him an apologetic look, he knew Richie liked Agata but it wasn't his fault she hugged him. There was no need for him to be jealous, Mike knew well enough who Agata truly liked.

Agata gave Richie an odd look before the group finally walked into the front yard of Neilbolt, and for a moment, Agata wondered how such pretty sunflowers could grow in a dry land. She watched as the boys began scavenging the ground for weapons, and now she was more than relieved to have brought her mom's taser.

"Guys," Bill said out loud, bringing everyone's attention, "Spikes," their leader picked up two poles with spikes on their ends that Agata presumed were once part of this rotting house's fence. Bill started placing as many poles as he could find inside his backpack while Mike loaded his bolt gun.

Agata saw Eddie taking off his fanny pack and before she could ask what he was doing, she gaped—bewildered when her friend flung it as far away as he could. She didn't even notice where it landed because the brunette's attention was on Eddie, who took a deep breath and looked in her way, smiling sheepishly.

Agata grinned back, her eyes almost tearing up as she felt a swelling pride inside her heart.

The moment was interrupted when she heard a glass bottle being shattered, and when Eddie and her turned to look, they saw Richie standing on the stairs with a useless small part of the beer bottle, which he promptly tossed it aside with a grumpy look. Agata bet that he was expecting to have a weapon out of it as he had seen in movies—so she sighed fondly because even though he was a dumbass sometimes, he was still her crush.

They all walked inside the house afterwards, and Agata drew near Richie to make herself feel better about returning to this hellhole.

"Stan?" Ben, the one most behind the group, suddenly called out.

The group turned around to notice that Stan was still standing outside the front door, giving them a pale and frightened expression.

He was hesitating, and Agata couldn't blame him as she gave him a sad look.

"Stan, we all have to go," Bill began, "Stan, we all have to go. Be-Beverly was right. If we split up like last time, that clown will kill us one by one. But if we s-s-stick together, all of us, we'll win. I promise," he ended, speaking earnestly.

Agata watched as Stan sighed before stepping inside the house, much to her relief. She gave him a supporting smile when he looked at her, and weakly, Stan managed to smile back.

They all followed Bill as he led them to the basement, where the well was. Bill told them that's where he saw IT disappear into, so it was definitely the entrance of Pennywise's lair. Agata was a little concerned about how they were going to climb down as she descended the creaky, wooden stairs, walking behind Richie and Eddie.

"Hey, Eddie, you got a quarter?" Richie asked him as the group approached the sinister well.

"I wouldn't want to make a wish in that fucking thing," Eddie promptly retorted with a disgusted look on his face, making Agata snort a little.

They all pointed their flashlights towards the deep, dark end of the well. And Agata scowled when she couldn't even see the bottom on it—however, she did notice the trail of blood on the stones, making her stomach drop.

_Please don't be Bev's..._

"Beverly?" Ben called out, his voice echoing into the darkness.

Agata could feel how desperate he was and if it was Richie she'd be hopeless as well. Not resting until she had him back. Shaking those intrusive thoughts away, she focused back on the current situation.

"How are we supposed to get down there?" she asked the boys.

Bill looked around for one second and found the well's carrier still with a strong rope they could use to descend—it was almost too easy, so Agata was on edge about it. As a natural leader, the Losers watched as Bill grabbed onto the rope first, to see if it was sturdy enough to hold them without breaking and letting his friends fall into their possible deaths.

Agata's heart was hammering anxiously as she watched Bill climb down on the rope, just like in Gym class. But there was no mattress underneath to catch him if he fell so she dearly hoped all of them could make it down without any casualties.

Eddie was next, with his broken arm it made sense to hurry him after Bill so he could be safer down there.

"I found a passageway!" Bill suddenly said, voice echoing as it reached where the rest of the group was.

They all looked relieved at that, it didn't look that much of a drop now that a hole has been found not that far away from the well's entrance.

Richie helped Agata up since apparently, it was now her turn, she gasped fearfully, grasping onto the rope after putting her torch back inside her backpack.

"Don't look down," Richie advised quickly, eyebrows furrowing with concern over her.

"Yeah, don't look down! You got this, Agata!" Eddie encouraged from the passageway Bill had found.

"J-Just go slowly!" Bill added, looking up at her with Eddie.

Good thing she was wearing leggings, because Agata would die of embarrassment if not.

Agata did go down slowly, using some of her arm strength to keep herself from descending too fast of slip from the rope's grip. Her muscles were starting to shake as she arrived at the hole that they were using as an entry, and as soon as she was reachable, Bill and Eddie extended their arms and pulled her towards them, helping Agata swing herself into the passageway—she yelped a little when she landed on top of Eddie, but at least he made her fall softer.

"Sorry Eds," she whined, glancing at his cast worriedly as she picked herself up from him with Bill holding her arm helpfully.

"It's okay" Eddie mumbled, his cheeks reddening as he still smelled her floral shampoo from when her hair covered most of his face. He shook it off and rose into a sitting position, ready to help the next friend who would climb down.

Stan was the one after Agata, and he crawled to stand behind Agata to leave some space for Richie, Ben, and Mike to fit inside the hole as well. Then, Richie showed up and he told Eddie to sit next to Agata and rest his arm while he now helped Bill with Ben and Mike—Agata thought that was such a sweet gesture, and in the middle of this damp, smelly tunnel, she found herself crushing even more on Richie Tozier.

When Ben climbed down, he seemed to struggle when he was in front of them—his weight didn't help and he began panicking when his hands began slipping.

"Guys, guys, help!" he begged.

Bill and Richie quickly dived in, each grabbing the chubbier boy's side and hosting him up, inside the passageway safely. Ben looked so relieved he couldn't help to smile.

"All right, buddy?" Richie asked at once, bringing the boy closer to him in a protective manner.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Ben replied, chuckling weakly. And Richie let out a comforted chortle as well, patting the boy on his shoulder affectionately.

Agata let out a relieved breath as well as she helped Ben stagger backwards to make room for Mike, she wrapped her arm around the boy's neck and pulled him into a sideways hug, which Ben appreciated immensely after his scare back then.

They were all waiting for Mike to descend when they heard his painful scream coming from above—instantly, the Losers were alerted as Bill was the first one to crawl back, looking up to see if there any sign of the boy with a concerned expression.

"Mike..." Eddie whined fearfully as his friend's scream still echoed through his mind.

"Mike!" Richie called out, urgently, "You okay?! _Mike_!"

"Mikey!" Agata shouted, her blue eyes increased with despair as she tried to hear for his response, "What's going on, guys?" Richie, Bill, and Eddie were covering the passageway's entrance so all she could do was kneel behind them.

"Bowers!" Richie spat, voice filled with trepidation laced with anger.

Agata cupped her hands over her mouth as she let panicked thoughts overwhelm her mind,_ Henry Bowers was here? That doesn't make any sense! Why was he here? Oh God, did he follow us? Does he hates us that much?! Oh God, Mikey is up there alone with him—we need to help him!_

"Mike!" Eddie wailed, fearing for his wellbeing as he saw the crazed look on Henry's face. And the worst part was the blood—whose blood was it?

"Mike—where is he?!" Richie asked out loud, panicking as he looked upwards. Just because he acknowledged Mike's crush on Agata, didn't mean he wanted his friend to die! He felt hopeless, being down here while Mike had to face a crazed Henry Bowers by himself, he could only hope Mike managed to fend himself off.

"We're next..." Eddie whined fearfully, and Agata instantly reached for his good hand, feeling his trembling body slightly relax under her hold.

She wasn't going to let anything happen to him, or anyone else. Leading her backpack up after letting go of his hand, Agata zipped it open and quickly seized the taser from inside, turning it on and looking towards the entrance with an enraged appearance—she felt fiercely protective right now and the adrenaline was beginning to coarse through her blood.

"Let him come then, I'll shock him hard enough to burn that ugly mullet of his to a crisp until his head looks like a deformed egg."

The boys gave her a look mixed of awe and fear—Agata Ray was a gentle soul, sure, but she was not to be messed with. And they knew that very well.

Then, her eyes widened as she quickly pointed ahead, "Guys! The rope!" she warned.

"No, no, no, no!" Richie suddenly panicked as Agata saw the rope they used to descend being pulled upwards—trapping them down here without a way out other than the passageway behind them, "Grab it!" he told Bill urgently, who was closer to it.

"Get the rope! Get the rope!" Eddie screeched, not wanting to be left down here to die.

Even Ben tried to help Bill, but to avail—the rope was gone, pulled up by a demented Henry.

"Shit..." Richie cussed under his breathing. Now they couldn't even help Mike if they wanted to, "Mike!" he tried again, "Leave him alone!" he angrily shouted, directly at Bowers.

* * *

Alexandra gasped when she abruptly dropped a plate of food from her tray—she couldn't handle it anymore. This hostile feeling had escalated enough to sound a red alarm in her mind. She needed to go home to check on Agata rapidly or else she would be paranoid for the rest of the day.

After cleaning up her mess quickly, she promptly gave her manager the explanation that Agata had a fever this morning and that she needed to do a quick check on her—the manager let her go and Alexandra was driving back home not even five minutes later.

Alexandra got home fifteen minutes later and nearly neglected to lock her car when she exited out of it and, when she opened the front door, Duncan ran towards her, barking at her before going up the stairs. Alexandra knew right away that Duncan was leading her.

"Agata?" the single mom called out, and when there was no instant response Alexandra's stomach stirred, "Agata!" she bolted inside her daughter's bedroom, it was empty.

She sought around the house, her desperation hoped that Agata just couldn't hear her for a reason. And then, when Alexandra passed by her own bedroom, she noticed something that made her freeze with dread. When she peered into it, she saw her nightstand's drawer open—where her taser usually was.

It was gone.

And Alexandra instantly knew that Agata had taken it.

She hated what she was about to do, her daughter's privacy was something Alexandra respected, but she was desperate and extremely worried for her baby's sake, so Alexandra did the unthinkable and walked into Agata's room, straight to her daughter's diary on her vanity mirror desk.

She opened her last entries—and there it was.

* * *

_July 4th, 1989_

_That clown. It's real. IT IS REAL._

_I'm scared. I don't want to see IT ever again. I want to tell mom but I can't do it. What if she thinks I'm crazy? This is the worst day ever since Georgie's disappearance—the Losers Club broke up and even though Richie will still talk to me, Eddie's mom was seriously pissed off at us and I doubt she'll let us see Eddie again._

_I'm never going to that house ever again._

* * *

Alexandra gasped, dismayed when what she dreaded the most came true. She quickly read through the pages and skipped through them until the most recent one, from today.

The first paragraph was about Agata having a boring day at home, but then Agata's writing became sloppier in the second paragraph as if she had been in a hurry when she wrote it.

* * *

_—Bill called, IT got Bev. I have to save her, I love her. I love all of them, they're my family too._

_Mommy, if you're reading this and I didn't come back, I'm sorry. Get out of Derry as fast as you can mommy before IT gets you as well. I love you. I love you and I love Duncan. I'm sorry for keeping this from you. I love you._

* * *

Alexandra let out a painful sob and hugged the diary close to her chest, her knees gave up and she sunk on the floor—completely wrecked with the horrifying reality that her baby girl went after that monster and that Alexandra felt helpless not knowing where they currently were. She couldn't go to the police, they would commit her or even blame her for her own daughter's disappearance. As she cried, Alexandra started praying. She wasn't as religious as her mother would've liked her to be, but she desperately prayed to whoever was hearing her cries.

_Please bring back my baby safely bring all of them back please I'm begging you..._

Duncan observed her from the hall, sitting serenely as he heard his owner's loud sobbing echo through the house. The German Shepard could feel another being hover Alexandra—but this one wasn't threatening or wished malice upon her. Duncan was still, for he intended no evil deed.

It was a very beautiful turtle—a friend.

* * *

Agata was still shocked from seeing Henry Bowers fall through the well into the depths of its pit. Maybe even into his possible death. She didn't even want to think about it, all she cared about was Mike's safety.

The boys hoisted him into the hole after Mike's descent, and Agata threw her arms around the boy as soon as she could, more than relieved to see him. Mike hugged her back, sighing deeply as his body sagged against hers. And soon the rest of the Losers followed, giving the homeschooled boy a group hug.

Eddie was the first to break from the group when he noticed someone was missing, "Guys, where's Stan?" he glanced back, where Stan was supposed to be, but the shorter boy paled when he didn't see his friend anywhere. He began walking towards the other side, "Stanley!"

"Stanley!" Richie called out as well as everyone else stood to follow.

"Oh no, he was right there a second ago!" Agata cried.

"Stanley! STAN!" Eddie screamed desperately, leading the group towards the end of the passageway and into the sewer tunnel, "Oh, shit. Greywater," he whined as he splashed on it as he walked.

Agata was the second one to jump on it too, her nose wrinkling at the sewage scent hitting her nostrils.

"Stan?!" Richie yelled out when everyone was officially in the tunnel.

"Stanley!" Agata called out fretfully as she looking around attentively, waiting for any sign of her friend.

They all followed Bill deeper into the tunnel while still calling his name, and all Agata tried to focus on looking out for Stan instead of the greywater she was stepping on with her favorite sneakers.

Then, a sign. A scream that definitely belonged to Stan came from a rusty, metallic door behind them, making Agata turn around quickly with a fearful look on her face.

"No!" she cried as she didn't hesitate to pursue after the voice, quickly trying to pry the door open at once. It didn't even budge.

"Stanley!" Eddie called, following after her with a worried expression. He also began helping her try to open the door, and soon, the rest of the club joined in as well whilst they shouted for Stan's name.

"We're coming man!" Mike assured, grunting as everyone made an effort to open the stubborn doors.

"We're coming, don't worry!" Eddie promised.

The door was finally forced open with their collected strength and they all burst inside the area with no hesitation, looking around to find Stan, who had gone eerily quiet.

"Stan?" Ben called.

"STANLEY?!" Eddie screamed, desperate to find him.

It was Agata that spotted him first, and her piercing scream brought the attention of the boys towards her. Richie reached her first with an anxious expression, putting a hand on her shoulder, scared that she was hurt. And when Eddie picked up Stan's flashlight from the ground after he noticed it, he pointed the light from it at what caused Agata to scream so loudly and freeze with fear.

"What the fuck is that thing?!" Richie exclaimed, startled at the sight of a tall, skinny woman piercing her many sharp teeth around Stan's face—covering him completely with her wide mouth.

The woman looked at them, and Agata screamed when her shark teeth didn't leave Stan's face, stretching her gums upward.

"Oh, shit," Richie cursed, standing in front of Agata protectively as he looked at the scene with horror.

Agata noticed Stan twitching his shoulder under her clutch, and when the woman finally let go of him—she was relieved that he still had his face uninjured, and not eaten up. They all watched, disturbed, as the woman backed away into one of the dark tunnels, disappearing for a moment before returning as the clown-

They all screamed quickly at the sight as IT grinned predatorily at them, and Agata almost cried at the sight of Stan's blood dripping down from the corner of IT's lips.

Eddie let out a scream, as Richie continue cursing—but Agata quickly focused on Stan, who was hyperventilating.

"Stan!" she cried as soon as the clown fully vanished into the abyss. And as she ran to kneel next to the shocked boy, the others followed right away.

"Stanley!" Richie cried, taking his side next to Agata as he gave his closest friend an anxious look as tears formed in the corner of his eyes.

"Stan!" Eddie sobbed, relieved to see him alive.

Suddenly, Stan sat up and began screaming hysterically—as if he finally realized what just happened to him and the panic finally settled, "NO! NO! NO!" he bellowed, shrugging away any hand that tried to touch him.

"Stan!" Agata tried, but the usually reasonable boy was downright spiraling.

"Stanley!" Eddie grabbed him by his arm successfully, keeping him still.

"YOU LEFT ME! YOU TOOK ME TO NEIBOLT!" Stan screamed angrily, looking at each face that belonged to his friends with an accusatory tone.

"Stanley, no! Listen, please–" Eddie tried in a comforting manner, but Stan's outburst continued.

"YOU'RE NOT MY FRIENDS! YOU MADE ME GO INTO NEIBOLT!" Stan sobbed, and Agata couldn't help to start crying as well as she reached her arms to cup his face, cleaning his tears. And she felt them—the cuts that IT induced on him—she inwardly cringed at how deep the bites marks were, she was afraid they would scar instead of vanishing.

Stan glanced at her, and cried even harder, "I want to go home" he wailed, more quietly now as everyone around him wept for him, feeling guilty and traumatized by what they just witnessed.

"Stanley, I'm sorry..." Eddie whimpered.

"You made me go into Neibolt..." he sobbed again, his voice wavering emotionally as he continued sobbing.

The Losers quickly circled their arms around Stan, delivering warmth and ushering soothing words at him as they hugged him close.

"We would've never let anything happen to you. We're here for you," Eddie told Stan gently, holding his hand and squeezing it reassuringly

"Yeah, Stan, we're here..." Agata muttered softly, brushing a curl from his hair away from his eyes.

None of them noticed Bill standing up and walking away from the consoling group until it was too late, Eddie, who looked up for a moment when he realized their leader was gone, alerted everyone.

"Bill!" he called, seeing his shadow turn the corner of one of the tunnels just in time, "Bill!" he yelled for him again, standing up and walking towards the stuttered disappeared to.

"Bill!" Mike shouted as well, helping Stan up as Agata glared ahead of her.

"God where did he go now?!" she didn't mean to sound annoyed, but she was clearly upset that Bill decided to go ahead of them without even giving a single warning—did he not just witnessed what happened to Stan when he was alone?! She was going to slap behind his head next time he saw him.

Her sour attitude dissolved entirely when Richie abruptly seized her hand and drew her close to him. They were walking together now, trailing after Eddie and Ben.

"Stay near me, okay?" Richie solemnly pleaded. He was still shaken up by what happened to Stan, and Richie couldn't bear imagining something horrifying like that happening to Agata. He can't allow it, he won't.

"Bill!" Stan called out as Eddie led the group, using his flashlight to see the way.

Agata was gripping onto her mom's taser, ready to use it if that clown decided to play another trick on them. She looked around and she was almost sure they were lost as they walked through the disgusting water pathway.

"Bill!" Eddie called out anxiously as they turned a corner. He was walking while staring ahead, and when he suddenly tripped and fell into the water, Agata winced.

"Come on! Get out of there, dude! That's greywater!" Richie urged quickly, concerned over Eddie.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait—" Eddie suddenly told them distressingly as he looked at the water around him with widened eyes, "Oh, my God, my fucking flashlight!?" he screeched helplessly.

Before Agata could offer her help to find it, mangled heads of mummified children started floating on the water around them—and right in front of Eddie, who squealed in confusion and terror as everyone cried bloody Mary and backed away instinctively.

"EDDIE!" Agata let go of Richie's hand to pull the boy towards her from the back of his shirt, "MOVE!" she barked at the group, trying to ignore the horrifying sight floating right in front of her, "MOVE!" she repeated, her voice booming through the tunnels and snapping them out of their frightened expressions.

Richie shook it off and nodded at Agata, who looked so beautiful when she was fearless, "Yeah, come on! Let's get the fuck out of here! Come on!" Richie yelled, grabbing both Agata's and Eddie's hands and pulling them with him as he ran past the heads—with Ben, Mike, and Stan trailing after them.

They ran aimlessly down the tunnels—and luckily enough, the Losers found themselves in the lair of the apex predator. But they didn't realize it yet, because the first thing they noticed was Beverly, floating mid-air with a vacant expression on her face.

"Beverly!" Mike called out, shocked at what he was seeing.

"Beverly?" Eddie said hopefully.

"Bev!" Agata cried, running towards her immediately, "Oh my God..."

"Holy shit..." Richie swore under his breath as he stared at the floating redhead—there was something uncanny about it, it wasn't natural, at all.

"Bev..." Agata sighed, shocked, "H–How is she in the air?" she asked with an awed expression.

"Guys..." Eddie suddenly said, causing attention to himself as he continued staring up with horror.

Agata didn't even notice the massive pile of objects, all on top of each other creating an extensive tower that stood high with its tip almost reaching the sewer's ceiling—no, she didn't noticed that because her blue eyes could only stare at the floating bodies circling the tower—she covered her mouth and took a step back by instinct.

"Are those?" Eddie began, his words dying as if he didn't know if he wanted to continue it.

"The missing kids, floating," Stan confirmed with a vulnerable voice.

"They're so many" Agata chided softly as she closed her eyes, scared that she might recognize someone floating above them. Agata decided to just focus on Beverly as goosebumps spread all over her body.

After the initial shock died, the plan was to reach for Beverly and pull her down to snap her out of her forcefully induced trance.

"Just let me grab her," Ben said as Mike and Richie hoisted him up towards her.

Agata watched them while Eddie pointed his flashlight at Beverly, and when Ben managed to grab onto the redhead's ankles, he pulled her down. When Beverly was within everyone's reach, Mike let go of Ben and grabbed Beverly's arms around with Richie.

Ben was standing in front of Beverly, and he cradled her neck gently with his hands as everyone watched worriedly—Agata almost looked away when she saw the once bright blue eyes of Beverly covered with ghostly white. It was eerie.

"Bev!" Ben tried, looking at her hopefully, "Beverly!" he repeated, shaking the girl as he attempted to wake her up, "Why isn't she waking up?!" he yelled desperately at the group, who could only look at him sadly, "What is wrong with her?!" he cried. His eyes glimmered as he held back tears, and Agata knew he would cry for Beverly, after all—he had romantic feelings for her, "Beverly, please! Come on!" he despairingly tried again, shaking her body.

"Ben..." Agata whispered wistfully as she watched the chubby boy hug Beverly tightly.

The embrace lasted for about five seconds before Ben pulled away with a determined expression—and before anyone could react, he drew Beverly's face close to him and pressed his lips against her own, kissing her.

That moment brought a chain of shocked reactions.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Eddie said, surprised.

"Uh..." Stan looked at the floor, feeling awkward.

Mike widened his eyes comically, "Wow..."

Agata's mouth dropped with shock. She couldn't believe what she just witnessed. She noticed Richie didn't react as they did, he just stared at the short-lived kiss and looked expectant.

"Uhm..." the brunette shook her head as Eddie gulped.

Then, Beverly inhaled sharply and her soulful blue eyes regained their color.

"No way..." Agata slowly grinned, "No. Way!" she emphasized by tapping on Eddie's good arm excitedly.

"Bev?" Ben said as he stared at her dreamily, he was still fazed that his kiss really brought her back from her daze.

Beverly stared at him and slowly, her expression shifted from shock to her realizing something, "January embers..." she quoted softly.

Ben smiled gently, "My heart burns there too..." he finished emotionally and relieved that she finally knew who had sent her the poem.

It was obvious that what the two said was a private moment between Ben and Beverly that no one knew about, but that didn't stop the remaining Losers from grinning in relief that Beverly had returned.

"Jesus, fuck!" Richie chuckled in relief, circling his two arms around Ben and Beverly and bringing the two towards them for a hug.

"Oh, God," Mike sighs, hugging them as well.

Eventually, they all join in on the group hug and Agata tears up a little when Beverly grins her way. Eddie however, walked a little further away with his flashlight, looking in front of him with a shocked expression. They broke apart from the embraced and Beverly looked around, confused.

"Where's Bill?" she asked them.

Agata's beaming expression dimmed slightly, "He ran ahead of us, I don't know..." she answered, looking at Eddie as she spoke, "Eddie?"

"I think he's over there..." he quickly pointed out, not wasting time as he began walking.

"Hey, wait up!" Richie told him before everyone began following after Eddie, walking as a group.

Agata felt Richie's hand covering hers again, and she didn't mind him keeping her close while they were still in danger—that clown could be lurking anywhere and being closer to Richie made her feel safe.

The rounded the trash and toys pile and stopped, shocked at the display they walked into.

It was Georgie, right in front of Bill.

And Agata didn't fail to notice that the little boy was missing his left arm. She shared a glance with Eddie—who was giving her a skeptical look in return—they obviously knew that it couldn't be the real Georgie. He's been gone for ten months now, Georgie could have not survived down here without food and clean water.

Agata squeezed Richie's hand as she anxiously observed Bill exchange words with the shapeshifter, trusting that her friend was smart enough to see through that clown's illusion and lie.

"I wanna go home..." Georgie whimpered, and Agata let out a painful sob—this was pure evil. IT sounded so much like the little boy, IT could even feign a scared expression. She couldn't imagine what type of torture Bill was going through right now, "I miss you, I wanna be with Mom and Dad..."

Agata heard Bill sob before he spoke, "I want more than anything for you to be home with Mom and Dad I miss you so much," he walked closer towards the impostor pretending to be Georgie.

"I love you, Billy."

Agata almost looked away at that.

"I love you, too," Bill replied, but then, he brought Mike's bolt gun up to Georgie's level and aimed it at his forehead—Georgie started to panic instantly, even shedding a few tears at Bill's action, "But you're not Georgie," Bill said with a final tone before pulling the trigger and firing a bolt right inside the boy's head.

Agata squeaked, closing her eyes and hearing the small body fall on the damp floor. When she opened her eyes during the pregnant silence, Agata noticed that Georgie wasn't moving, and for a second she thought with terror that Bill might've killed the real Georgie.

But then, startling everyone, Georgie's body began twisting and shaking erratically on the floor, in such an inhumane manner that made Bill step away. Agata heard IT's growls mixed with Georgie's screams as the body convulsed, producing longer limbs with crunching sounds that made Agata cringe with disgust and change into the clown's outfit.

Then IT sat up, his head downwards for a moment as IT gasped loudly before hoisting itself into a standing position.

"Kill it, Bill! Kill IT!" Eddie screamed at once, not afraid of the creature anymore.

"Shit—" Richie said, holding Agata's hand tightly.

The brunette knew Pennywise was in a vulnerable state, so she spoke up as well, desperately looking at Bill, "What are you waiting for?! Kill it!" she yelled as well.

Soon everyone began yelling at Bill to kill IT as slowly, the clown raised its head and gave their leader a menacing grin.

"It's not loaded," Agata heard Mike say amidst the screaming.

She looked at him with widened eyes and then returned her gaze towards Bill, "Bill! Wait!" she tried, but her voice was drowned over the cries of her friends.

"Do it now, Bill!" Richie yelled, "Kill IT! Kill IT!"

"Fucking kill IT!" Eddie shrieked.

Bill reloaded the bolt gun and aimed it at Pennywise's forehead quickly like he had done when IT pretended to be Georgie.

"Kill IT!"

"DO IT!"

"Hey, it's not loaded!" Mike tried again, his voice rising over the screaming as he gripped his metallic pole closer.

Agata feared for Bill's life because of that information, but, miraculously, when Bill fired the gun IT got shot on the forehead as if a real bolt had come off from it—IT arched backwards as black blood splattered in the air, floating. IT bellowed in pain, proving that it could be injured and wasn't as powerful as it seemed.

"Holy fuck," Richie said, surprised.

IT began convulsing again as a loud, rageful yell came out of its mouth. Pennywise moved forward, lunging at Bill while they all scattered away in panic, forming a circle around the monster. Agata and Richie didn't coordinate where they would be running so they had to let go of their hand-holding mid-flight—separating the two on opposite sides.

"Bill, watch out!" Richie warned, but it was too late.

Pennywise shoved Bill on the ground, and Bill used the unloaded bolt gun to protect his face as IT bit into it instead with its sharp teeth. Bill managed to shove the clown off of him as IT growled like an animal—its eyes crimson and golden—making it look more like a monster than a clown.

"Leave him alone!" Beverly shouted angrily, swinging her pole to hit Pennywise's head.

But IT stopped the attack by grabbing her makeshift weapon.

"Beverly, no!" Eddie shrieked as he watched Pennywise toss the pole away.

IT was about to attack the redhead when Mike ran to stand in front of Beverly protectively, also holding up a metallic pole. Agata screamed with terror when Pennywise shoved Mike away effortlessly against the pile of trash. The boy hit the ground with a loud 'thud' and Agata quickly bolted towards him, worried for his sake.

Richie used the distraction to fearlessly leap on the monster's back and shove his pole inside its mouth, making IT bite on it as Pennywise began to circle its body swiftly, attempting to pry the teen from its back. IT swiftly seized Stan's shirt as it spun around tirelessly, carrying the boy on a forced joy ride.

Agata kneeled next to Mike at the same time Beverly got there as well, and the two girls helped him up. He seemed winded, but Mike appeared to have no severe wounds.

"Mikey, are you alright?!" Agata asked, cupping his face and rotating it from side to side to analyze his face for any wounds.

There might be a confrontation going on in the background, but Mike felt his heart burst with delight just by being treated by his crush in this form, "'m fine, Agata," he assured her with a fond smile.

Agata showed him a relieved smile while Beverly looked at Mike with a knowing look.

"Help him!" Ben suddenly shouted, and when Agata, Beverly, and Mike looked they saw Bill hopping onto Pennywise's back as well, assisting Richie in beating up the clown.

"Richie! Bill!" Agata screamed, scared of them being too close to the creature.

"Fuck!" Richie cursed as he tried to maintain his chokehold on Pennywise.

Ben suddenly jumped into action as he clung onto the clown's arm, keeping the limb from trying to grab for his friends. Mike stood up and Agata quickly backed away as he prepared to swing again at Pennywise.

"Stan!" Agata shouted as she saw him being tossed away by the clown—she winced when he fell on floor harshly, rolling on it before stopping.

"Stanley!" Eddie cried worriedly.

Then, Richie was next. Pennywise flipped him off his back and the trashmouth fell on his back, hard. He let out a restrained cough at the pain he was feeling, and before she could run towards him, Beverly and Mike ran back to the group and Agata felt her hand being held by Beverly, who pulled her along—She struggled a little but her she came into a halt when Agata saw Pennywise flipping Bill as he did with Richie, and now, their leader was under IT's grasping, unable to escape from its hold.

"Bill..." Agata whined, fearing for his life as everyone stared helplessly, without knowing what to do now.

"Let him go!" Beverly demanded as her voice broke.

"No... I'll take him. I'll take _aaaaaaall_ of you. And I'll feast on your flesh as I feed on your fear" Pennywise growled as drool slid down from the corner of its mouth. Then, IT's expression changed as if he had a brilliant scheme to share, "_Ooooor..._ you'll just leave us be. I will take him, _only_ him, and then I'll have my long rest and you will all live to grow and thrive and lead _happy lives—_until old age takes you back to the weeds."

Agata scrunched her face with disgust at what the clown was attempting.

"Leave!" Bill suddenly cried as he struggled under Pennywise's arm, he was looking at them desperately, "I'm the one who dragged you all into this. I'm s-s-s-so sorry..."

"S-s-sorry..." IT mocked, repeating Bill's stutter.

The Losers all stared at Bill, not accepting what he was asking them to do. Agata knew damn well that they would never abandon Bill down here with the clown.

"Go!" Bill shouted.

"Guy, we can't!" Beverly stated as she looked at everyone's hesitant expressions.

Agata nodded her head, agreeing with her, "No, absolutely. I'm staying."

"I'm sorry..." Bill told them again.

The heavy silence was broken when Agata saw Richie stand up, "I told you, Bill. I _fucking_ told you. I don't want to die, it's your fault," he told Bill firmly.

Agata watched him apprehensively, he was acting oddly. Richie wouldn't even think about leaving Bill here, no, she knew him. Richie wasn't the one to leave his friends behind when they need him the most.

Richie continued, walking closer to the trash pile, "You punched me in the face, you made me walk through shitty water, you brought me to a _fucking_ crackhead house!" he emphasized everything by counting the many times Bill had led him wrong with his fingers, "And now..." Richie, surprising everyone and making Pennywise scowl hatefully towards him, reached inside the pile and seized a baseball bat from it, "I'm gonna have to kill this fucking clown."

That was all it took for everyone to get ready for round two, and Agata grinned proudly, bringing her taser front and ready to use it as she thought about how handsome Richie looked right now.

"Welcome to the Losers' Club, _asshole_!" Richie roared as Pennywise shoved Bill away and lunged at him with a powerful growl—Richie swung the bat before it could reach him though, and Pennywise backed away from having its face bashed.

The teens began circling quickly around it, like sharks about to attack their prey. The roles have been reversed, Agata noted with a smirk.

Mike approached it next, stabbing his metallic pole inside its mouth—and horrifying enough, burnt hands emerged from Pennywise's expanded mouth and grasped the pole and extended further, trying to reach for Mike as well. He was stuck, trying to pry his pole from Pennywise's mouth.

"Mike!" Agata cried.

Bravely, Stan ran towards the scene and hit the arms reaching out for Mike with a loose, heavy pipe—allowing Mike to finally step away as they disappeared. But now the clown was pissed off at Stan, and its head quickly shifted into the same woman that had bitten Stan's face as Richie delivered a blow in the back of the monster's head when IT was about to pounce at Stan.

That didn't faze Pennywise though, IT still bolted towards Stan while letting out an enraged roar.

"STAN!" both Eddie and Agata screamed simultaneously.

But Stan was done of the woman in the painting, he also let out a yell and swung a pole at Pennywise's head when IT was near enough—proving to everyone that he was no longer afraid.

The Losers were not letting IT rest.

Mike instantly hit Pennywise again, but this time the monster dodged it in time, making the boy lose his balance while shapeshifting his arms into what Agata thought were spider claws. Mike hit the floor and Pennywise began attempting to impale him with the claws as Mike scrambled away, dodging each hit while almost getting stabbed by the clown, who was giggling maniacally as it chased after him.

"Mike!" Eddie screamed.

Ben yelled in fury as he ran towards the creature, piercing IT in its back with his pole. Agata saw all the blood pouring out that gave her hope that they could do it, they might really kill IT. However, her hope was dimmed when Pennywise turned around, donning a mummy head and using its hold wrappings to bind them around Ben's head, bringing the chubby boy closer to its face. Ben's screams as he struggled to get away made Agata whimper, she wanted to attack IT but she was holding back, like a coward.

_C'mon Agata! Get it together! _she yelled at herself, but her legs didn't move.

Luckily, Bill grabbed some chains from the floor and used it as a whip to wallop the clown away from Ben, which IT did—and Agata realized that Pennywise appeared to have shrunk down slightly, cowering from them almost nervously?

Richie took advantage of the monster's fall and swung the bat on its back, making it wail. Pennywise was now in a crawling position, like an insect, and Bill took the chance to whip it again, making the beast cough in pain—then its eyes were on Eddie, who shook his head as the leper made an appearance.

And to everyone's disgust—it vomited a black goo all over Eddie. Agata even gagged when he spat some of it from his mouth.

This, made Eddie's neurotic side snap, and instead of grossed out—he was livid, "I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU!" he screeched before kicking IT in its face, sending him falling backwards.

Everyone watched as IT fell near Agata's feet, and she recoiled, reading her taser. When Pennywise looked up, Alexandra morphed as its head.

"Agata you were always a pain in my ass. I wish I never birthed you, my life would be better without you being a constant weight on my back. Now, listen to your mother and—"

Pennywise's scheme was interrupted when Agata shoved her taser right into its mouth, eyes ablaze with fury as she leaned down, "You are not my _fucking _mom," she hissed at the monster before using her free hand to punch IT across the cheek that belonged to her mom.

Pennywise dropped the act and convulsed on the ground momentarily from feeling the volts from the taser coarse through its whole body—it was in pain and the Losers watched with some satisfaction while listening to Pennywise's despairing screams.

The taser fell off, unfortunately, into a puddle—making it impossible to be re-used again unless you wanted to shock yourself to death. But Agata was satisfied with the damage she caused because Pennywise's outfit was fuming from the smoke.

IT suddenly rolled over towards Beverly, and everyone watched her tense her shoulders up when Alvin Marsh looked up at her—with a sultry look on his face.

"Hey, Bevvie. Are you still my—"

Beverly lunged at him before he could finish the sentence and as she let out an angry scream, the redhead impaled IT through its mouth with her pole—slowly, Alvin's shocked face shifted into the clown's original mask. Beverly left it there as Pennywise gasp, she backed away to stand between Richie and Agata and the brunette couldn't help but look at her friend with pride.

The clown spat the pole from its mouth.

"Oh, shit!" Eddie cursed as he trembled, trying not to cry from the disgusting muck all over his body and hair.

Pennywise took a look around, trying to whiff for some fear—but to avail. They were all glaring at IT, and none of them was scared. Not anymore. IT collapsed, starting to retreat from the teens with a terrified expression as they chased after IT, ready to finish what they started. IT stopped at one of the large wells surrounding the area—a way out if the sewers ever got flooded. IT twisted and shook its head as if it was a stubborn child that couldn't accept the situation—IT whined, groaned, and drooled. IT ogled at them with a starved look on its injured face.

Pennywise giggled—then it frowned almost in a sad manner. It was shaking when Bill began addressing it.

"That's why you didn't kill Beverly," he said, slowly realizing it, "'Cause sh-sh-sh-she wasn't afraid. And we aren't either. Not anymore."

Pennywise stared up at him, sobbing and laughing quietly at the same time with a defeated expression.

"Now _you're_ the one who's afraid because you're gonna _starve_!" Bill spat coldly, looking at the monster with pure hatred.

That seemed to have triggered something within Pennywise, he let out a groan before suddenly backflipping into the hole behind it—but hanging by the edge with its arms, staring at the teens with a frightened look.

"He thrusts his fists against the posts, and still insists he sees the ghosts..." Pennywise began reciting, more to itself than them.

They didn't care. The Losers started to get ready for round three as they gave each other weapons—Agata nodded as Eddie handed her a pole from the floor, not even caring when her clean hand touched the goop that was in his.

"He thrusts his fists against the po-po-po-po-posts..." IT continued, staring directly at Bill, provoking the boy.

Scowling, Bill prepared to swing his pipe at Pennywise again but the clown let go of the edge before that happened—Agata could only see the white gloves from the tip of its hands allowing her to know that IT was still hanging on.

They all huddled around the hole to peer down at the child-eater, giving it a challenging look. Agata raised her eyebrows at the sight of IT's skin starting to peel away from its face—disappearing like ashes in the air.

A sense of realization crossed the monster's face, and he finally understood what its victims felt.

"Fear."

They all watched as IT finally let go, falling into the dark abyss and never to be again. At least, until twenty-seven years later. But the children didn't know that, they hopefully thought IT was dead.

They were all silent for a moment, staring at the hole as if Pennywise was tricking them.

Then, Richie spoke up, "I know what I'm doing for my summer experience essay."

Agata smiled at him for disrupting the tension with a light quip. That was one of the reasons she liked him in _that_ way. As Bill and Beverly hugged each other for their proper reunion, Agata grabbed Richie's hand and squeezed it, making the other look at her softly.

They did it. They won. All Agata wanted now was to go home to her mom and Duncan and hope that she wasn't gone for too long. Down here it was hard to think about how many hours have passed and the brunette didn't want her mom to worry—especially after leaving that message to her. Agata shuddered to think about her mom's reactions if she ever read that.

"Guys. Guys!" Eddie suddenly called out as he looked up, "The kids are floating down."

The Losers all followed his gaze and looked up, realizing that he was right. The bodies of the children that were once victims of Pennywise were slowly descending. Agata took that as a symbol that perhaps, that clown was gone for good—and she couldn't help to feel hopeful about the future.

As they stared upwards, the teens didn't notice Bill detecting something from the edge of the pile of trash and trinkets, bur Richie and Agata did look when they heard Bill throwing his pole into the ground—they glanced at each other worriedly before slowly walking after him as Bill knelt in front of a smaller heap reaching and holding something from it on his hands.

As they got there, Agata's heart broke at the sight of Georgie's yellow raincoat—she still remembers seeing the little boy wearing it during the raining season while insisting on going with her to walk Duncan. Tears quickly formed in her eyes as she let go of Richie's hand to bent down next to Bill and Richie did the same.

Georgie was no longer missing, he was dead.

Agata enveloped an arm around Bill, giving him a tender embrace to comfort him as she began crying with him—and Richie, placed a soothing hand on his friend's shoulder, gazing at the raincoat with a crestfallen expression. And slowly, as Bill bellowed painfully and pressed the raincoat to himself—finally starting to mourn the loss of his little brother—each member of the Losers' Club began holding their leader and dear friend, creating an emotional and comforting group hug for the third time ever since they arrived into the sewers—and effectively strengthening the bond between all of them.

They cried, holding each other close. From the traumatic experiences they went through this summer, to finally getting over their own fears, to the battle they endured against a monster—and from the realization that Georgie, a sweet little boy, was taken from this world by a monster.

But nothing could break them apart now.

* * *

**Tuesday, September 5th, 1989**

**3:33 PM**

Agata couldn't believe that school was about to begin, it seemed that this summer had gone through so fast that she barely enjoyed it.

Oh and, because she had an evil clown to deal with.

Her friends had taken her home after leaving the sewer through Neibolt, and as soon as Richie walked her to her door, Alexandra swung it open and had ushered them all inside, crying in relief for seeing them all alive. She didn't let go of Agata as soon as her daughter was in her arms, and the Losers didn't blame the single mom for that.

But what shocked Agata the most was, when they all left (Richie lingering a little longer to give Agata a longing look), and then Agata had showered and changed into more comfortable clothes, her mom sat her down with a plate of food and told her about her knowledge of Pennywise.

It all made sense to Agata now.

Her mom had been nine years old when she was invited to a slumber party by two popular girls from her school. Alexandra told her she wasn't very popular, beeing always known as the mousy girl. So when they invited her, Alexandra told her daughter that her grandfather only allowed her to go because that night he was planning on burning down the Black Spot with his cult friends—and he didn't want her to be home as a witness because that's where they were going to escape.

Agata felt disgusted just by knowing that her paternal great-grandfather was a racist man part of a cult that killed many black people twenty-seven years ago.

Pennywise had tried to kill her mom when the two girls told Alexandra that they were just joking about the invitation and that they slammed the door in her face, telling her to go home. It was dark out, and her mom told her she used to walk through Bassey Park as a short cut. It almost cost her life that night, because she hadn't noticed how eerily silent the park became as she sobbed and cried while making her way home.

The clown showed up, at first being sympathetic and offering her an animal balloon to cheer her up. And Alexandra remarked to her daughter that she almost believed it—she nearly followed the clown into the small forest land around the park. But then, the sound of a fire truck passing by behind her at a dangerous speed had startled her. Alexandra told her Agata that she remembers coming to a sense of reality—something in her mind was telling her not to trust the monster's kind beckoning and run to just for her life.

So, Alexandra did.

And Agata listened attentively (and anxiously) as her mom described the way she felt when the clown roared with anger from having its meal escape and chased after her. Her mom escaped. But the trauma had settled until she grew into her teenagehood—and left Derry at the age of eighteen.

This is what Pennywise meant with _'you're not supposed to exist'_. Her mom was supposed to have died in 'sixty-two—but she didn't.

She sighed, thinking about her conversation with her mom as she sat down next to Richie on a rock. They were all sitting in a circle near the Quarry, right in front of the kissing bridge as Beverly finally gathered her strength to tell her friends what she saw during her tranced daze. The redhead had been quiet about it for a long time, and no one dared to pry the information out of her.

"I can only remember parts, but I thought I was dead," Beverly began, staring at the grass with a distant look, "That's what it felt like."

Agata gave Beverly a pitiful gaze. It was sad enough that Beverly was leaving to live with her aunt in Portland ever since she finally told on her dad's abusive actions. Alvin Marsh was not mentally well enough to take care of his daughter and his unwanted sexual advances on her were what made Beverly finally leave.

"I saw us, all of us together back in the cistern, but we were older, like, our parents' ages," Beverly continued.

"Am I still handsome as an adult?" Richie asked as he cupped his face, giving the group a face that made them all chuckle lightly.

_I bet you will be..._ Agata shyly thought as she blushed.

"You grow into your looks," Beverly told him, grinning.

Richie however, seemed highly offended at that as he looked at a laughing Eddie, "What the fuck does that mean?!" he snorted.

"What about me?" Agata asked eagerly.

Beverly smiled fondly at her, "I saw that you still had our friendship bracelet..."

Agata beamed at her, reaching towards her right wrist to feel the silver chain bracelet with two 'BFF' small pendants. Beverly had an equal one on her wrist as well—a gift that the redhead bought for the two a week ago before telling Agata the news that she was leaving. It was a bittersweet day, but Agata promised to never take it off.

"What about me?" Stan asked, still smiling.

Beverly's smile dropped into a smaller one as he gave Stan a secretive look, "Like now but taller," she replied curtly. And Agata tilted her head at her, confused with the sudden change of mood.

"W-W-What were we all doing there?" Bill asked for everyone.

"I just remember how we felt," Beverly replied, trying to think about what she saw to see if she could tell him even more about it, "How scared we were I don't think I can ever forget that" she somberly confessed.

Suddenly, and with a determined look on his face, Bill picked up a shard of glass from the ground and stood up, looking at them as he spoke up, "Swear it, s-swear if IT isn't dead, if IT ever comes back—we'll come back, too."

They all hesitated at his request, even Agata looked a little torn about it, but when Beverly got up to stand next to Bill everyone rose as well. Agata felt her knees starting to wobble but she tried her best to remain still—after all that, she couldn't be scared of IT. Not anymore. If IT ever came back she would return and not only for her and her friends—but for her mom as well.

Agata was standing between Richie and Eddie as she watched Bill cut his own palm with the shard—making her cringe at how deep the cut was, enough to make blood pour from it.

Richie was next—he winced when Bill quickly sliced his palm as well. Agata looked worriedly when Richie shook his hand with a pained expression. But now her worries were about her pain when her turn arrived, and she appreciated Bill's apologetic eyes before he gently took hold of her hand and sliced her palm as well.

Agata squeaked and shut her eyes at the intense pain she felt from the shark cutting through her skin—she whined when it was over, and when Bill moved towards Eddie, Richie was on her side instantly, hugging her close and letting her hide her face on his shoulder as she felt her blood slide down her fingers. It hurt but she didn't regret it.

Eddie was next, and coincidentally, Bill sliced his palm as his wristwatch's alarm starting beeping. Agata turned to the boy and smiled sadly at the way he held back his tears, so she put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner as Richie gave Eddie a tender smile, proud of his neurotic friend.

Then it was Mike, Stan, Ben, and Beverly—who Bill hesitated for a moment before cutting her palm as well.

Then Bill took his place between Beverly and Richie again. Soon, each Loser was holding the hand of the person next to them, letting their blood fluid together and creating the oath between the eight teens that would unite their lives again in twenty-six years.

Agata squeezed Richie's and Eddie's hand tightly—and they pressed her hands in return, silently telling her that they were determined to return as much as she was.

After ten seconds, they slowly let go and stared at each other in comfortable silence.

"I gotta go," Stan spoke up, breaking the silence, "I hate you," he told Bill with a scowl.

Bill looked at him, frowning and hurt. And Agata glanced between the two worriedly.

Then Stan slowly began smiling, which escalated to him laughing—prompting everyone to chuckle as well.

"I'll see you later," he told the group before turning to leave, and Agata watched him go with a relieved look on her face.

"Bye, Stan," Agata bid him softly.

Then, it was Eddie's turn to leave. He hugged Richie and Agata also pulled him into an embrace, kissing his cheek platonically again before he gave her a soft smile and walked off. It seems that the two had a tight bond between each other—but Richie wasn't worried about Eddie liking Agata in a romantic way, their relationship was more like brother and sister—they were protective of each other and both Eddie and Agata were casual about displaying their affection for each other.

Richie adored them both—in a way that could be considered as more than platonic. He knew he had a crush on Agata, but his feelings for Eddie still confused him, it was like a dirty secret he'd never want anyone to find out about. He straightened his glasses and anxiously looked behind him, towards the kissing bridge—and for a moment he thought about showing what he carved to Agata, and it would've been a nice way to confess—if only he hadn't carved another name initial beside her own.

When Mike left, he also hugged Agata—but Richie didn't even felt a pang of jealously this time. After all, they were all friends. And their friendship was built on trust—Mike knew that Agata liked Richie, so he was not going to do anything about it, because he wanted her to be happy. And Mike wanted Richie to be happy, too. So he smiled at the group, nodded at Richie and left, back to his grandfather's farm.

When Agata decided to leave as well, Richie said that he'd take her home. And her heart began hammering—because this was it. She was planning on telling him today how she felt and this could be the perfect opportunity.

"Bye Richie, bye Agata," Beverly bid them as she waved.

Agata pulled her into a hug, "I'm going to miss you" she whimpered softly as she felt Beverly's hands wrapping around her torso.

"I'll miss you too you'll always be my best friend," Beverly whispered in her ear before pressing a kiss on her cheek.

They broke the hug and stared at each other, beaming before glancing at their friendship bracelets.

"I'll never take it off—I swear," Agata promised.

"Me too, and I'll write every week so don't think about replacing me!" the redhead half-joked, but Agata still giggled.

"Bye, guys," Ben told them, smiling.

"See you around," Richie told them.

"See you Rich, Agata," Bill nodded.

The brunette beamed at her friends before starting to hike up the pathway that led towards the forest, she heard Richie walking behind until he reached her side. They both strolled in silence until they were inside the forest, alone and away from their friends' sight.

Agata took a deep sigh and halted.

"Aggie, what's up?" Richie asked nervously, looking at her while stopping his steps as well.

She blushed because now that she was about to finally confess, her stomach began churning as doubt filled her mind, "I... uh..."

Richie blinked, "You?"

"I like you!" Agata exclaimed, gasping at herself afterwards for actually saying it.

The teen's eyes widened comically—and he fixed his glasses right away as he looked at his own feet, "Holy shit" he whispered, mostly to himself, "Holy shit!" he shouted, slowly grinning when he looked up at her again, "You? You like _me_?!" he repeated, it was if he couldn't believe what he just heard.

Agata relaxed a little bit, seeing that Richie didn't look awkward or disgusted about her statement, "Yes, Richie I've had a crush on you for a while now. I wanted to tell you this summer but you know," she didn't need to say what stopped her from confessing her feelings, he already knew.

But Richie would've kept his feelings hidden if he had to because he wasn't as brave as she was being right now. A sense of relief and joy flashed through his face as he stepped closer to Agata, "Holy shit, Aggie, I like you too!" he blurted happily.

Agata beamed at him, "Really? You do?"

"Fuck yeah I do! You're my girl, Aggie!"

She could feel her cheeks burning, "Y-Your girl?" she shyly asked.

Richie realized what he just said, and he sheepishly scratched his cheek as a form of distraction, "I mean, if you want to?"

The hopeful look that he sent her way was enough to make Agata's heart hammer against her chest from the excitement she was going through. This was a different type of adrenaline—not the one she felt in the sewers—this one made her do an act that Agata would only dream about doing.

In response, she seized his glasses and got them off his face, and before Richie could react she stood on the tip of her toes and pressed a quick peck on Richie's full lips—both gasped at the sensation of their first kiss.

Agata couldn't believe that she had done it—she wanted to cover her face and never look at Richie again. But he had other opinions about her action. Richie wanted more—it was his turn to cradle her cheeks amid his hands and bend down to press his lips into hers—and keep them there instead of withdrawing immediately as she had done.

She closed her eyes and kissed him back, hoping she was doing it correctly. Richie closed his eyes as well, and the two kissed for at least ten seconds (no, Agata absolutely didn't count in her head) before Richie pulled away, out of breath because he forgot he could breathe through his nose.

"Holy fuck" Richie whispered, his face still near Agata's.

She opened her blue eyes and gave him a dazed expression, "Ditto" she mumbled while tenderly setting his glasses back on his face.

He grunted, and pulled her into a hug, "This is the best thing to ever happen to me, not even the first time I tickled my dick could overcome—"

"BEEP BEEP, RICHIE!" Agata squealed, blushing at his foul mouth.

Richie laughed as she lightly hit his chest, "Don't worry Aggie, I'll be a really good boyfriend."

_Boyfriend._

Agata giggled, "You don't need to be good, Richie, you only need to be yourself."

She didn't know what the future awaited for both of them. Her mom told her that she was saving money to leave Derry but it was going to take a while for that to happen. Agata hasn't told her friends yet, and she only would when her mom was sure about it—because for now, Agata just wanted to enjoy her life without a child-eating clown chasing after her and her friends all summer.

And, she wanted to go on dates with Richie, hang out with her friends, focus on school and think about her future without the intrusive thoughts that, maybe, the Losers would drift away and never talk to each other again.

Agata didn't want to think about her future, at all.

Because as she held hands with Richie while the two continued making their way out of the forest, she knew the present looked promising.


	11. The Life of Agata Ray (1990-2016)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's a chapter of what happened with Agata during the 27 years!
> 
> Cast:
> 
> Alexandra Newby: Vera Farmiga (Brunette)
> 
> Agata Ray: McKenna Grace (as a child/teen)/Kate Siegel (adult) 
> 
> Daniel Wright: Patrick Dempsey
> 
> Walter Newby: Steve Zahn
> 
> Mildred Turner: Kristen Stewart
> 
> Ellie Davis: Amandla Stenberg
> 
> Nick Newby: Zachary Gordon

* * *

**1990 (14 years old)**

* * *

**August**

Alexandra, Agata, and Duncan move to Charlestown, Boston, and unbeknown to them, their memories about the town and the people in it would vanish the very next day. Agata is confused about the small locket pendant on her silver necklace and the bracelet with the words 'BFF' on her wrist.

She doesn't recognize the group of kids on the photo posing with her with funny expressions inside the locket and eventually, she decides to put her unrecognizable jewelry inside a shoebox and store it in the back of her closet.

A week later, she receives a letter from someone named Richie but she never replies because she doesn't know who he is. However, she places the letter inside the shoebox and forgets about it there as well. Then, strangely, she starts receiving letters from boys named Eddie, Bill, Stan, Mike, and Ben. But she now thinks this is a mistake—but keeps those letters as well.

**September**

Agata begins her Freshman year at Charlestown High School and returns to her reclusive self. Alexandra manages to find a job as a waitress in a small Italian restaurant just ten minutes away from their apartment.

**October**

After a dentist's visit, Agata begins wearing braces for the following two years.

**November**

Even though she was labeled as the quiet but smart girl by her classmates, Agata is approached by a girl named Jeanna and the two begin talking to each other every day.

Agata is recognized by her peers to be very intelligent and she begins tutoring some of her classmates that are struggling.

* * *

**1991 (15 years old)**

* * *

**February**

Just a week after her birthday, Agata tells her mom she wants to be a child psychologist and Alex gives her full support.

Agata gets informed at her school about what classes she should focus more to become a psychologist. Because of that, Agata continues focusing more on her studies rather than being social. She thinks that having Jeanna is enough – and even though her only friend is now becoming popular the two remain close and always eat lunch together.

Agata continues tutoring her struggling classmates, and when the principal notices this he offers Agata an empty classroom for her to invite even more students in her grade for her to help.

An unofficial study session with Agata begins and even though she's only a Freshman, Agata begins being respected by her will to help students get better grades and is promised an award by the end of the year.

**March**

Jeanna tells Agata that she likes girls and Agata shows her support and swears not to tell anyone about it. This moment, however, made Agata realize that she might like girls as well, even though she finds some boys at her school cute as well. She's incapable of telling her mom, fearing her reaction, so she represses her feelings and continues focusing on her studies, bringing home straight A's.

**June**

Agata graduates.

After seeing Jeanna's father congratulating his daughter for graduating with good grades, Agata starts to wonder about her father more than ever. After the graduation party, Agata finally asks her mom about him and Alexandra, who knew this day was coming, tells her about Daniel Wright and what happened between them.

Agata is now more scared than ever to come out because she thinks her mom will hate her because of what Daniel did. Nevertheless, when Alex asks Agata if she wants to meet her dad, Agata says yes. And the search begins – with a DNA test.

They find him, surprisingly also living in Boston, just twenty minutes away and teaching English in New Mission High School.

They meet the next weekend in a Chinese restaurant, and as soon as Daniel sees Agata he runs up to her and hugs her. Instantly, Agata hugs him back as Alexandra watches them. The three sit down and discuss their lives for a starter. Then, addressing the elephant in the room, Daniel apologizes to Alexandra for what he did to her, and Alex says she's sorry as well for never telling him about Agata – when all is forgiven, Daniel tells them he wants to pay for all the child support he missed and that he wants to be in Agata's life. Alex accepts it but refuses the money.

Daniel is stubborn and begins giving Agata an allowance of fifty dollars per week until the child support is fully paid.

**July**

Agata decides to start helping her mom and since Jeanne went on a vacation to Spain with her family she gets a job as a babysitter and she takes the opportunity to gain experience to become a child psychologist.

**August**

With her allowance money, she starts taking a driver's ED course. Daniel terminates his affair with Kyle Higgins, the now married man that Alexandra caught him cheating with before Agata was born.

**September**

Agata begins her Sophomore year.

She becomes close to Mrs. Bailey, her widowed AP Psychology teacher.

**October**

A boy named Philip asks Agata to homecoming, telling that he's been wanting to talk with her for a long time, but never knew how to approach her until that day. Agata agrees to go because of Jeanne not wanting to go without her—and to experience a social event.

She lets him kiss her (and thinks she just had her first kiss) but when he continues pushing for more, Agata panics and pushes him away, running out of the dance and getting home early. She doesn't tell what happened to her mom.

The next day, Philip avoids her and she doesn't mind it one bit. The two never speak to each other ever again.

**November**

Agata calls Daniel dad for the first time.

**December**

Daniel spends Christmas Eve and Christmas with Alexandra, Agata, and Duncan for the first time. They take their first family photo together.

* * *

**1992 (16 years old)**

* * *

**March**

Agata officially gets her driver's license, though she doesn't mind not having a car since her school and stores were a mere walking distance.

**June**

Alexandra meets a man that shows interest in her and later starts dating him. Walter Newby reminds Agata of someone but she doesn't know who, especially because of his black fanny pack, allergies and lactose intolerance. Agata is happy that her mom started dating someone so sweet, but Daniel sometimes teases Walter for being so hypochondriac.

Agata graduates Sophomore year with straight A's.

**July through August**

Agata continues working as a babysitter and saves enough money to buy a computer with the help of her allowance as well.

**September**

Agata begins her Junior year.

As the weeks go by and Jeanne attends cheerleading tryouts, they begin to drift away and by the end of the month, Agata is back to being a loner. She doesn't mind it at first since she's focusing a lot on her studies but soon she begins missing having someone to talk to.

**October**

Agata takes her braces off and suddenly starts getting some attention at her school. She is now labeled as a mysterious, quiet girl – who is also attractive.

**December**

Walter spends Christmas Day with Alexandra, Agata, Daniel, and Duncan. And even though he was first wary of the dog, the two get along just fine. They all take a photo together.

* * *

**1993 (17 years old)**

* * *

**June**

Agata graduates Junior year, with a strong letter of recommendation from Mrs. Bailey.

Alexandra and Walter celebrate their first anniversary by going on a one-week cruise.

Agata stays with Daniel during that week and they go on a road trip to California where he takes her to Disneyworld. They have fun there, especially since it's her first time, and they end up bonding even more like father and daughter.

However, when they return from the trip, Agata begins the preliminary phases of college admissions.

She schedules campus tours but her choice of university was always Berkeley, in California. Alexandra wants her to go to Boston University and tells Agata that with her impeccable grades she could even attend Harvard. But after researching about it, Agata insists that Berkeley has the best psychology courses – besides, it would be easier to apply for a scholarship in Berkeley instead of Harvard.

Alexandra is upset her daughter wants to study so far away, and the two argue about it. She ends up apologizing first, admitting that she was wrong to want to try and control her life when she was almost an adult and more responsible than she was when Alexandra was Agata's current age. They hug it out and Agata promises to visit them as much as they can if she is accepted in Berkeley.

**July**

Alexandra and Daniel go to Berkeley for a campus tour with Agata while Walter stays home dogsitting and because of his job.

After the tour, Agata makes the final decision that she wants to attend it next year and Alexandra, albeit saddened that her daughter wants to study on the other side of the country, still shows support on her daughter's decision.

Daniel was always supportive, but he's worried about letting his daughter ago live so far away as well. He talks to Alexandra about giving "the talk" to Agata, but she debunks that idea because Agata and her had "the talk" before meeting him and she was a responsible girl.

**September**

Agata begins her Senior year and starts focusing only on her studies. She builds a wall around her and doesn't allow anyone to befriend her.

However, her classmates still get tutoring lessons from her and even though she's reserved, they are very thankful.

**October**

Agata completes the bulk of her college scholarship application and meets with her school's guidance counselor for assistance in creating a chart of important deadlines to stay on track.

The application is sent to the University of California-Berkeley.

**December**

Agata is cleaning her bedroom to receive Walter's family for Christmas when she finds the shoebox with her forgotten memories of Derry—she ponders on throwing it away but a voice inside her head tells her to keep it safe. Agata simply cleans the dust around it and sets it back at the end of her closet.

A day after Christmas, Agata receives the response from the University of California-Berkeley – and she was accepted with a full scholarship.

* * *

**1994 (18 years old)**

* * *

**June**

Alexandra and Walter celebrate their second anniversary.

Agata graduates her Senior year and is Valedictorian, giving a shy but good speech at her graduation ceremony. She also thanks her school for the amazing AP Psychology classes and wishes everyone from her grade good luck in the future.

**August**

Her parents and Walter take the seven-hour flight to California to drop Agata off. She is staying at the University of California-Berkeley's Unit 4, in the Stern Halls, a campus's all-women residence hall located next to the Foothill complex on the northeast side.

She is going to share a double room with another girl and even though her mom told her that it was going to be fine—Agata was anxious about having a dormmate.

She meets Mildred Turner, a motivated Freshman taking Gender and Women's Studies and Journalism. The two get along right away and Agata starts thinking that perhaps she became instantly comfortable around her because Mildred reminded her of someone.

**September**

Agata begins her Freshman year in college.

* * *

**1995 (19 years old)**

* * *

**April**

Agata gets invited to a college party and there she avoids drinking any sort of alcohol.

Overwhelmed, she locks herself in the bathroom and finds 20-year-old Kendrick Jones in an empty bathtub, smoking weed and grinning amicably at her. They end up talking and find out they have a lot in common – two weeks later, he invites her on a date and she accepts it.

**June**

When Agata goes home for summer vacation, she tells her mom that she is in a relationship with Kendrick and Alexandra is excited about her daughter's first boyfriend. Walter congratulates her as well but Daniel becomes very grumpy at the idea of his daughter having a boyfriend – Agata finds this adorable in her dad.

Alexandra and Walter celebrate their third anniversary.

**September**

Agata begins her Sophomore year at the university,

She is still dating Kendrick and the two seem to have a good relationship.

Agata catches Mildred making out with a girl named Ellie when she enters their room without noticing the sock on the doorknob and when her dormmate is tense about being caught with a girl, Agata is quick to assure her that she doesn't mind if she's a lesbian, and then explains that her dad is gay as well.

The two become closer and their friendship grows stronger. Mildred finally is able to introduce Ellie to Agata as her girlfriend and the two start getting along as well.

**October**

Agata and Kendrick celebrate being six months together by stargazing and later when Kendrick takes her back to his shared apartment to watch a movie, Agata ends up losing her virginity to him.

**December**

When Agata returns home on her Christmas break, she is surprised by the news that her mom is three months pregnant when she opens one of her presents, which was a cute mug that had 'big sister' printed on it.

Agata is very shocked at the news, but then she becomes excited about becoming an older sister and congratulates her mom and Walter.

Agata and Kendrick are still together.

* * *

**1996 (20 years old)**

* * *

**February**

Agata has a pregnancy scare a week after her birthday but when she takes a test and it comes out negative, she then realizes that she is not ready to be a mom yet, but still wants to be after finishing her studies and have a stable career and life. When she told Kendrick he was also relieved that she wasn't pregnant, but he promised that if it ever happened he would never leave her.

Alexandra and Walter find out that they are having a boy—and they choose the name Nicholas right away.

**April**

Kendrick and Agata celebrate their first anniversary as a couple.

He takes her back to his place for her to meet his parents on the weekend after their anniversary, and Agata finds out that they are very stuck up and judgemental. Kendrick tells her not to mind them, after all, they're still peeved their only child decided to follow a Music Degree instead of Medicine School like they always pressured him to choose.

Agata then realizes why Kendrick never mentions his parents, and that he probably had a rough childhood.

**May**

Alexandra and Walter renovate Agata's bedroom to be Nichola's nursery, but the shoebox remains hidden at the end of the closet. As if it's being guarded.

**June**

On the 4th day, Nicholas Simon Newby is born.

Agata is saddened she wasn't there the day her brother was born because of her classes but as soon the graduation ceremony ended, she flew home with Kendrick. To finally meet her baby brother and for her family to meet her boyfriend.

The meeting goes well and even Duncan seems to like Kendrick.

**September**

Agata begins her Junior year in college.

**October**

Kendrick and Agata decide to mutually break up when they realize that the love in their relationship has faded. They decide to remain amicable because they still care about each other.

Everyone was shocked at the news, especially Alexandra who saw how much the two loved each other. She even thought her daughter would end up marrying Kendrick—but alas.

**December**

Agata flies back to Boston for Christmas and enjoys some family time. But as she remembers her ex-boyfriend, she begins feeling as if she's having a deja-vu when she begins missing Kendrick. Agata thinks he was her first boyfriend so she is confused when the realization that feeling a heartbreak is something she has suffered before even meeting Kendrick. If only she could remember.

She spends the entire break taking care of her brother to drive her mind out of her confusing thinking.

* * *

**1997 (21 years old)**

* * *

**February**

Agata feels as if she has completely moved on from the break-up and on her birthday, Mildred takes her out with her girlfriend, Ellie, and her extrovert friends to a bar where Agata reluctantly tries alcohol for the first time.

She discovers that while the taste of beer is disgusting, she does like the sweet cocktails like Margaritas and Sangria.

Kendrick tells Agata that he began dating someone—and even though she tells him she's fine with that, Agata begins to avoid him because she is not fine with it at all—and she thinks forgetting about him it's the best solution to avoid another heartbreak.

**June**

Agata finishes her Junior year in college.

She plans a trip to Italy in July with Mildred and Ellie.

Alexandra is anxious about the young women going to Europe by themselves for the first time but Agata assures her that they'll be fine since they are only going to touristic spots and she has researched about scammers and human trafficking warnings.

Nicholas turns one-year-old.

**July**

Agata, Mildred, and Ellie go on a one-week trip to Verona and enjoy their time there. The three take a lot of photos together but Agata starts feeling like the third wheel when Mildred and Ellie go to a lot of romantic spots.

She starts missing someone, and Agata is surprised when Kendrick didn't cross her mind when her heart ached for that mysterious person.

**September**

Agata begins her Senior year in college and starts applying more into her studies.

Mildred and Ellie have a serious fight and they almost break up, but after Agata gives her friend some advice the two girlfriends make-up and both decided to treat Agata for dinner as a thank you.

**October**

Walter proposes to Alexandra and she says yes.

Agata moves on from Kendrick when she hooks up with a woman her age at a Halloween party. It was a one night stand and even though Agata never sees her again, she comes out to Mildred as bisexual after realizing her attraction to both sexes.

Mildred tries to prompt Agata to come out to her family, but she never pushes her too far. Agata however, wants to finally come out and she promises to do it during Christmas.

**December**

When Agata arrives at her house, she promptly assembles her mom, Walter, and Daniel in the living room and comes out to them as bisexual. She admits to her mom she might've known since she was 15 but she was scared to do it before because of what happened between her mom and Daniel.

The three adults all accept Agata and Alexandra tries to apologize for letting her daughter think she'd hate her—and Daniel joins in on the apology, but in the end, Agata is finally relieved they all know and accept her sexuality.

* * *

**1998 (22 years old)**

* * *

**March**

Duncan passes away peacefully during his sleep.

Agata is disheartened when her mom told her by phone that he died in front of their fireplace during the night.

Unknown to them, Duncan died missing the group of kids he protected nine years ago and hoping that his girl would be able to battle against the creature in thirteen years without him.

Alexandra guards Duncan's collar in a special box and kisses it before settling in over the mantel, displaying it for everyone to see. She finds Walter sobbing because he had grown so fond of Duncan and the two decided to get another one in the future—but not yet.

**June**

Agata finishes her master's degree in Psychology.

Nicholas turns two years old.

**July**

Alexandra and Walter marry on a sunny and warm day. Daniel catches the bouquet. Nicholas was the ring boy and Agata a bridesmaid.

Two weeks after their wedding, Alexandra and Walter adopt a three-month-old puppy from the local shelter and name it Nina.

**August**

Walter surprises the family by taking them on a one-week cruise around Europe to celebrate a new chapter in Agata's life and to bond as a family. Daniel gives them a speech about how thankful he is to have them all in his life.

**September**

Agata begins the journey to take her Psy.D in Child and Adolescent Psychology.

Mildred moves out of their shared dorm room because she and Ellie decided to start living together in a studio apartment just two miles away from the university.

They remain friends and meet during weekends for coffee and lunch to catch up.

**December**

Agata has a meet-cute with a mature man, five years older than her, and begins a relationship after he takes her to three lovely dates.

His name is David Foster, he's a camera operator from Los Angeles that was in Berkeley visiting his family for the holidays.

* * *

**1999 (23 years old)**

* * *

**March**

Mildred and Ellie move away to Washington D.C and Agata becomes friendless one again.

She never sees them again, but deep down Agata knew this was going to happen. So during their departure, Agata wishes the two good luck and hopes to see Mildred on the television as a famous journalist one day.

It's a sad goodbye, after five years of friendship they wistfully part ways.

* * *

**2002 (26 years old)**

* * *

**March**

Agata has her mind set on moving to New York City and start her career there when her studies are complete.

When she brings this up with David, her boyfriend of almost four years now, he begins an argument about it because he wants to stay in L.A and he doesn't believe in long-distance relationships.

A week after their big fight, Agata breaks up with David when he forces her to choose between him or New York City. Agata promptly chooses New York, and they officially break up.

**June**

Nicholas turns six years old.

**September**

Nicholas begins first grade.

* * *

**2004 (28 years old)**

* * *

**June**

Agata finishes her Psy.D. in Child and Adolescent Psychology.

Nicholas turns eight years old.

**August**

Agata begins her one-year internship while studying at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, which is only fifteen minutes away from the University.

* * *

**2005 (29 years old)**

* * *

**July**

Agata begins another year residency under supervision but she visits her family in Boston before starting it.

She can't believe how grown Nicholas (now nine years old) is now and feels bitter about not being a constant presence in his life. He openly tells her that he's okay and that he thinks she's still the coolest sister ever because she can drive him around town and buy him toys.

Daniel begins openly dating a man named Steven Ortiz.

**October**

During her internship, Agata starts thinking about wanting to become a mom. But after David, she had no interest in dating anyone at the moment (not that she didn't have the opportunity).

With no actual friends her age, she seeks her mom for advice and Alexandra tells her that nowadays, a woman no longer needs a man to become a mother. There's always adoption or more choices. But Agata also wants her baby to have a father because she grew up fifteen years without one – and she doesn't want that to happen to her child – if she ever has one.

* * *

**2006 (30 years old)**

* * *

**June**

Agata finishes her practicum.

Nicholas turns ten years old. Agata buys her little brother a bicycle—and she suddenly realizes that she never had one when she was a kid. Another memory that she had forgotten.

**August**

Agata obtains her certification, becoming a licensed state Child and Adolescent Psychologist and celebrates it with her family.

She achieved her goal and when alone with her mom, thinking how far both of them came from being just the two of them, both have a moment together and embrace each other, crying from happiness and proudness.

Daniel jokingly starts calling Agata "Dr. Daughter", but he's so proud of her that he won't shut up about her to his students.

**October**

Agata moves to New York City as she always wanted after getting the thirteen-month old Post-Doctoral Fellowship In Child & Adolescent Psychology in the Manhattan Psychology Group.

She buys a two-bedroom apartment with the hopes of having a baby in the future.

* * *

**2008 (32 years old)**

* * *

**June**

Agata is now an official Child and Adolescent Psychologist in the Manhattan Psychology group.

Her next goal is to open her own clinic – but the possibility is still far away.

During the past two years, she has gone on dates and endured at least two long relationships that never lasted more than nine months.

Agata is currently single and still motherless.

It helps when she was surrounded by children and teenagers that need her psychological help, but at the end of each session they would leave and the usual emptiness would return to her heart when she went home with no one waiting for her there.

Nicholas turns twelve years old.

**August**

Agata takes Nicholas to Disneyworld in California to bond with her little brother—just as Daniel did to her fifteen years ago. The two take a lot of photos together and Nicholas quickly tells Agata to publish them on Facebook—which she does.

Nicholas hangs copies of the photos on his wall proudly.

**October**

Agata has another pregnancy scare after having a one-night stand weeks prior. She is both relieved and saddened that the test came out negative.

She spends Halloween with a bottle of red wine, expensive candy and horror movies from the '80s. As she watches them though, she starts remembering some funny commentary on some of the scenes that belonged to the voices of kids that she has never met.

Agata falls asleep on her couch and dreams about being young again, and sitting on the back of a bike as a boy with long, unruly hair stirred it. She couldn't see his face, but in her dream, she rested her head on his back in a comfortable manner.

When she woke up, Agata was crying. And she had no idea why, because she didn't even remember what she dreamed about.

* * *

**2010 (34 years old)**

* * *

**June**

Agata is now on her way to buy her clinic but she's still working in MPG and helping her old and new clients.

She's been dating a man named Caleb for nine months and she's very insecure about their relationship since he's very out-going and extrovert.

He's also wealthier and Agata is uncomfortable at the expensive gifts he sometimes would give her. But Caleb was sweet and caring as well, so she can't but to love him.

Nicholas turns fourteen years old.

He has told Agata he doesn't like Caleb—Agata realized her little brother was being protective and she found that heart-warming. The two had a very long phone-conversation about her relationship with Caleb and she managed to convince her brother that Caleb was a good man.

**July**

Caleb proposes to her and surprising herself, Agata says yes.

Daniel and Nicholas are against it, thinking that they haven't known each other for that long to get hitched, but Alexandra is supportive and so is Walter because he trusts Agata's choice.

If Agata was being honest with herself, perhaps she only said yes because she's scared of being alone forever and dying without having a single child of her own. She wasn't sure if she wanted to marry Caleb, but at this point, Agata felt like she would not have another opportunity in the future.

**October**

Caleb comes home drunk, crying and sobbing. He confesses to Agata that he's been having an affair with an intern and that he doesn't deserve her, that keeping this from her was eating him alive. Agata can see how much he regrets it but it still breaks her heart as she has standards—because even though she's desperate she won't marry a cheater. Especially one that was having an affair with a twenty-year-old girl.

Weeks after their engagement ended, Agata wakes up in a pool on her own blood and after rushing to the hospital, she finds out she had a natural miscarriage almost three months into her unknown pregnancy.

The news hit her like a wall of bricks, she feels numb. And thinking it was her fault, her depression begins.

* * *

**2011 (35 years old)**

* * *

**February**

Agata has a mental breakdown after celebrating her birthday alone.

The next day, she wakes up with a lot of missing texts and calls from her family and realizes she needs to seek therapy.

**May**

Agata has been in therapy and taking antidepressants for three months now—but she still thinks about ending her life at least once a day. She tries to deny those intrusive thoughts whilst thinking about her family. Agata won't give up, she remains in therapy.

But she keeps her depression as a secret, not wanting to worry anyone.

**June**

Nicholas turns fifteen years old and Agata can't believe he's going to be a high school student already. She cries a little when Alexandra told her he can't fit in the bike she bought him five years ago.

**October**

A year after her miscarriage, Agata finally begins to move on and decides to never give up on having a baby as long as she could, even though she was approaching the age of forty.

She sings a bittersweet 'happy birthday' to her deceased baby and ponders on telling her family about it. Agata decides not to.

* * *

**2013 (37 years old)**

* * *

**July**

Agata is now a very popular psychologist in her area and most importantly, she has her own clinic.

She holds a good relationship with her receptionist and P.A, Ashley (a vibrant and enthusiastic twenty-five-year-old), and the other employees she hired and life is good and successful for her as she is able to help her clients.

What matters to her is that the kids and teens that enter her office and she won't rest until they get better.

She's surfing through channels one night when she stops on a Late Show of the comedian Richie Tozier – his jokes sometimes don't end well and they are very off but his voice is always on her tv while she tries to fall asleep. For some reason, it soothes her.

**August**

Daniel marries Steven, his boyfriend for eight years now, and Agata attends the wedding.

Nicholas is now seventeen and, during the wedding reception, tells Agata in secrecy that he's pansexual, and when she accepts him fully he tells her that he's nervous about coming out, and Agata is more than happy to assure him that everything is going to be fine.

Two days after the wedding, Nicholas finds the bravery and everyone is very supportive as Agata predicted they would be.

Nicholas becomes popular on an app called 'Vine' and Agata watches his vine videos and finds him funny, she is so surprised to see a compilation of his vines trending on Youtube and by the Likes and Comments, her little brother might become even more famous in the future.

From his jokes and humor, she laughs during her lunch breaks and shares them as much as possible.

* * *

**2014 (38 years old)**

* * *

**July**

Dr. Agata Ray is now slightly famous when she appeared on one of her brother's vines – after all, he has almost four million followers on the app and it's crazy amazing how famous he is on the internet.

Nicholas (now eighteen) tells her that he just does things he finds funny in his head and replicates them, making them more fun with the help of his editing skills. He's even had collabs with other Vine Stars and he told her that he wants to be an actor one day and Agata supports him.

**August**

Agata has been watching Richie Tozier's stand-up shows a lot and when it's announced that he's on tour and he's going to be in New York City for a full week she manages to buy a ticket on the last day and giddily attends it.

She's not expecting to be overwhelmed by forgotten emotions when she sees him on the stage, throwing quips and jokes at the audience and making them, including her, laugh.

When his dark eyes fall on her blue ones, she noticed how he paused mid-story telling and saw his shocked expression before he shook it off and continued.

At the end of the show, she was able to get an autograph (even though she felt silly and feeling like a fangirl) when Richie had stopped walking just for her—to offer the autograph she wanted. And when their eyes met again, Agata wondered if they've seen each other before. But before she could ask him, he threw up right in front of her, barely missing her shoes.

She sees him pale, seemingly in panic, and before she could familiarly fuss over him, he quickly hands her the autograph and leaves the area quickly, never looking back. The two never see each other again.

That is, until two years later.

* * *

**2015 (39 years old)**

* * *

**June**

Nicholas turns nineteen years old.

He decided not to go to college but he's working full-time as a Youtuber by playing video games. He's now internet famous thanks to Vine as well and hopes to still become an actor in the future.

**August**

Agata was feeling restless and decided she would take a vacation for the entire month of August, and when the moment came, she packed her bags and went on a trip around Europe where she got to relax, sight-see, and have a casual fling or two or three.

She spends the rest of the month not thinking about being childless, but it doesn't help when a couple with a kid befriends her during the whole trip.

**September**

Agata is late to her work and speeds a little bit—resulting in a car crash. Fortunately, it wasn't that serious and it only involved her and another driver, both were not hurt. But the man that came out of his SUV looked angry and Agata saw that from his suit, he was going to throw the 'I'm suing you' card at her.

She left her car and prepared to apologize and exchange for insurance when the man stopped yelling when he took a good look at her-not because he was attracted to her, but because he recognized her from somewhere.

He was calm afterwards, and introduced himself as Edward Kaspbrak using a more polite voice, which Agata appreciated. They ended up exchanging insurance and Agata kindly denied his offer when he invited her for coffee.

Even when Edward assured her that his intentions were not romantic, he even told her he was married, Agata was running late and she didn't want to have coffee with a married man—even though he was quite cute.

She never sees him again, but it doesn't make any difference because the next day, Agata forgets him as Eddie forgets her.

* * *

**2016 (40 years old)**

* * *

**January**

Agata begins searching for adoption options and agencies – she just wants to be a mom and she is officially done with feeling sorry for herself. Her mom was right—she didn't need a man to become a mother.

Agata contacts the New York State Adoption Service after researching a lot and getting advice.

She then contacts Alliance for Children and writes an application they send to her by e-mail.

**February**

A social worker named Abigail meets with Agata several times during the process.

Agata has a biographical and physical assessment completed and submits various documents, including copies of her birth certificate, income tax returns, and medical reports completed by her physician.

She was fingerprinted and cleared through the New York Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment and the Justice Centers Staff Exclusion List.

She is also informed that depending on the particular circumstances, a home study can take up to several months.

But Agata is patient and hopeful.

**July**

While the home study is underway, she began attending an 8-10 week Model Approach to Partnership and Parenting training, where Agata begins learning parenting skills, assessing her strengths as a parent, and better understand the particular needs of adoptive children.

**August**

After satisfactory completion of her training and home study, her apartment is approved as a pre-adoptive home and Agata cries all night in celebration, hugging herself for comfort.

The matching process begins and Agata begins looking at pictures of children waiting to be adopted.

She stops at a two-year-old boy with shy eyes peeping out from under a floppy fringe with a tentative smile – she fell in love right there and she knew that he was her son.

His name was Ollie.

His story is that he had been neglected and harmed by his birth parents, he came under the wing of Social Services when he was one-year-old and was then placed for adoption.

She met him a week later and even though he had been hesitant and quiet, Agata was more than sure she wanted to be his mommy.

**September**

After two weeks of introductions, the agency told Agata that if everything goes well, Ollie would be in her care very soon.

Then what was left was to wait for the 6-8 months for the adoption to be finalized. But that didn't matter since Agata would have her Ollie with her.

Before he moved in, however, she began buying his bed, child furniture, toys, clothes (and a wardrobe for them to fit in) and she told the news to her family, who were thrilled and happy for her.

Especially Nicholas, who was now twenty years old.

He couldn't wait to meet his future nephew. Agata checks his Youtube Channel weekly and his content includes gaming – he had almost 7 million subscribers already and he is profiting from making videos like he had a normal job.

On a regular day at the clinic, after the last therapy session for the day, Agata receives a phone call.


	12. Dr. Ray Takes a Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I suggest you read the previous chapter or else some parts of this one will be confusing to you.
> 
> Also, I noticed that Mike calls Eddie at '18:13' which is '6:13 PM' in military time. I tried to pinpoint where Eddie was driving in New York City but after an hour of investigating I have up. All I know is that he's from Queens but he was driving between Broadway and Jefferson Street. Also, his car said that it was 68 degrees and wow, that's cold!
> 
> Ashley is played by Sarah Hyland!

**Monday, September 5th, 2016**

**The Larstrand, Manhattan, New York City**

**6:20 AM**

The sound of her phone's alarm clock going off repeatedly was the first noise to grace her unconscious mind from her dreamless slumber. In a sleep-induced haze, a forty-year-old woman reached one hand out from her comforter and fumbled around the nightstand for a second before her hand came in contact with the infernal device. She encircled her hand around the offending object and brought it to her face under the warmth of her bedspread, hastily sliding the snooze button to the right of the screen and groaning loudly as she buried her face deeper into her pillow—snuggling down into her sheets in an attempt to encourage sleep to return to her.

She made a distressed sound before she rolled over onto her back, opening her eyes knowing that trying to go back to sleep would be a lost cause at that point. Her brain was already active and besides, she needed to get ready for work.

She blinked blindly for a few seconds, staring up at the dust motes floating through the patches of weak sunlight peeking through the curtains of her floor-to-ceiling windows before her vision finally cleared.

Agata Ray rose slowly into a sitting position before she surveyed her dark bedroom while yawning softly and stretching her arms.

She was a beautiful woman with long, dark brown hair that reached her breasts and baby blue eyes that have grown greenish over the years. Agata was also fit, she often attended her apartment building's private gym and jogged around Central Park every weekend before her yoga class. Her attractiveness has caught the eyes of many men and women—but she remained single until to this day.

But Agata didn't care about dating at the moment.

She pulled herself unwillingly from her spacious bed and padded over to her floor-to-ceiling window, sliding the curtains away to grin at the city sight down below. Agata's heart would always leap at the height of her apartment—even though she's been living there for years. After a minute of a breathing exercise session, she sauntered out of her bedroom, towards the kitchen.

The methodical process of making tea was just what her brain needed to start waking up. At the current moment, her brain still felt sluggish and weighed down by the effects of almost comatose like sleep state she had so recently been blissfully engaged in ever since she started meditating before sleeping.

When the kettle started screaming she took it off the heat and poured the boiling water into her navy blue mug, adding honey and a ginseng teabag, waiting for the brew to begin steeping.

While she waited, Agata checked her phone's notifications to see she had some from her family group chat, one from her personal assistant Ashley, and one from her Nick.

She opened Nick's text first.

* * *

**From: Nicky  
To: Me  
(3:22 AM)**

_Hey sis! Thanks again for listening to my venting, I know it might sound annoying (even though you always tell me it's not lmao) but I feel so scared of talking to mom or my dad about it._

_Anyways I know you're sleeping right now so tty tomorrow! :)_

* * *

Agata frowned when she realized her little brother was sleeping in late once again—probably editing his videos or just avoiding taking his sleeping pills again.

Either way, she was concerned because even though he was twenty-years-old, Nick was still her baby brother. So Agata quickly texted back.

* * *

**To: Nicky  
From: Me  
(6:40 AM)**

_Nicky! If I was there I would bonk your head with a hammer! You never need to apologize to me for talking about what troubles you–how many times do I have to tell you that is not annoying! :(_

_I may be an old woman but I can still drop-kick you, boy!_

_You better be asleep right now. And rest at least a few more hours!_

_And don't worry honey, everything you tell me is between us. I'm not saying this as a therapist but as a sister. I love you and I'm here for you, and if you ever need to escape Boston you can come and stay with me–maybe even make a little fun vlog for your Youtube channel! :)_

* * *

Agata then opened her family's group chat and smiled instantly at a photo of her mom's casserole photo with the caption _'This was dinner last night, Nicky had 3 plates!'_

* * *

**Family Ties (19 unread messages)**

**Danny: ** _how come you made your famous chicken casserole but Steve and I weren't invited for dinner? that's homophobic_ **  
(10:50 PM)**

**Momma: ** _Daniel please shut up.  
_ **(10:54 PM)**

**Nicky: ** _lmao! btw there's nothing left I ate the rest as a 3 am snack so rip_ **  
(10:54 PM)**

**Danny: ** _HEY!_ **  
(10:56 PM)**

**Momma: ** _why were you up so late?_ **  
(10:57 PM)**

**Nicky:** _vibing and editing a video_  
**(10:57 PM)**

**Walt:** _Nick we talked about this._  
**(10:59 PM)**

**Nick:** _HEY WHO ELSE IS EXCITED TO MEET OLLIE NEXT WEEK?_  
**(11:00 PM)**

**Danny:** _OH BOY I SURE AM! where the hell is my Dr. daughter anyways? :(  
_**(11:00 PM)**

**Momma:** _Probably asleep, she wakes up early tomorrow for work._  
**(11:02 PM)**

**Danny:** _Aw my hard-working baby_ **(crying emoji)  
(11:03 PM)**

**Momma: ** _and don't forget to bring presents for my grandson or else!_ **  
(11:05 PM)**

**Nick: ** _lmao Danny she's not a baby but go off_ **  
(11:05 PM)**

**Danny: ** _Who asked you?_ **  
(11:05 PM)**

**Nick: ** _Your husband did_ ** (face blowing a kiss emoji)  
(11:06 PM)**

**Momma: ** _Nicholas!_ **  
(11:06 PM)**

**Danny: ** _im omw to beat your ass with a cane_ **  
(11:07 PM)**

**Nick: (GIF of a man turning on his blue light-saber) ** _bring it on old man  
_ **(11:08 PM)**

Momma: _you two exhaust me.  
_**(11:10 PM)**

* * *

Agata laughed as she continued scrolling down to more friendly bantering between her dad and her half-brother. Her family was indeed tied together—there was her real dad, Daniel, who was married to Steve, her step-dad. Then, her mom married Walter, her other step-dad, and the two had a son—Nick. It sounded a little confusing when she first talked about her family but people seemed to understand it quickly enough.

Agata shook her head and decided not to respond, afraid to wake someone up this early (even though Walter was probably getting ready to work as well).

She then checked Ashley's text.

* * *

**From: Ashley H.  
To: Me  
(6:10 AM)**

_Good morning Dr. R! :)_

_Do you want something from Starbucks? I'll be there in an hour._

_Oh, and it's on me! I owe you for letting me off early last week._

* * *

Lyra's school called to inform that she had a fever so Agata let Ashley go pick her up immediately.

Ashley Higgins may be only twenty-five years old, but she had a four-year-old daughter from a relationship that blossomed and died during her college years. The young woman was forced to drop out of college from pursuing her dream of being an actress to take care of her baby, and three years ago, when Agata opened her own clinic, she instantly had a good feeling about Ashley and hired her on the spot. The young woman was so vibrant and helpful—and Agata couldn't help to take her in, hoping to give her and Lyra a good life.

And three years later, Agata as somehow snuck herself into their little family and even got little Lyra to call her 'aunt Aggie'.

The psychologist eyed her tea and bit her lower lip, thinking about her options. Would it be too much to drink a mug of tea and then have coffee an hour later?

* * *

**To: Ashley H.  
From: Me  
(6:50 AM)**

_Good morning Ashley!_

_I hope it's not too late to say my request, however, I insist I pay you back for my drink as soon as I get to the clinic. And that's final!_

_I want a blonde roast with a splash of non-fat milk, vanilla powder, and two shots of espresso, please._

_Oh, and the cup size is tall. Thank you again, honey._

* * *

True, Agata had a lot of maternal energy to dispose of and she inwardly knew she viewed Ashley as her daughter—but it was like a silent agreement between the two. There was no need to say it out loud, it felt natural just the way it was.

Agata made her way back into her bedroom, threw her phone on her unmade bed and crossed over to her dresser. She pulled some clothes out of her drawers—a moss-colored tuxedo jumpsuit with a dark brown belt and a new pair of bra and underwear. Then, nodding approvingly at her choice of clothing for today, she returned to the kitchen to pick up her mug of tea.

She brought it to the adjoined bathroom in her bedroom with her and set it down on the sink counter as she started the shower, and whilst she waited for the shower to heat up Agata would occasionally sip from her tea while finger-combing her long, wavy hair. When she saw the steam coming from the water, the brunette stripped down her satin long leg pajamas, stepped into her clouded shower and proceeded to begin the methodical process of showering.

Her inner dialogue was reminded her of the therapy sessions she had for today—even though Ashley would remember her as soon as she arrived at the clinic.

Ten minutes later, Agata stepped out of the shower and wrapped two towels around her hair and frame before crossing into her bedroom. She smiled in satisfaction as she left a trail of water behind her on the wooden floor in a small act of rebellion from when her mom used to scold her about it.

To escape the cold air of the morning, Agata hastily dried her body, put on her bra and underwear, applied her Palmer's cocoa butter post-shower lotion on her four limbs and belly and donned her jumpsuit.

She pocketed her phone as she passed by her bed and quickly pulled the sheets and the comforter up to make it. Agata wasn't a person that moved around during her sleep—even when she had nightmares—so it was easy to make her bed every morning.

Then, she grabbed her black faux suede double zip booties and sat down on her bed, putting them on. She huffed tiredly after completing the process and grabbed her phone to check the weather, also seeing a notification from Ashley.

* * *

**From: Ashley H.  
To: Me  
(7:14 AM)**

_No problem, you texted me back just in time. I'm omw to drop Lyra at pre-school and then I'll go directly to the clinic._

_Oh also, it's starting to rain so don't forget to bring an umbrella :)_

_also, it's so cold!_

* * *

Agata smiled fondly at the text, it seems that there was no need to check for the weather after all.

However, her warm expression wilted when she glanced at her floor-to-ceiling windows. Agata never liked rainy days. There wasn't a reason for it, at least she thought. Agata couldn't remember about Georgie Denbrough so the forty-year-old, who once loved to observe the rain pour as a child, began feeling melancholic and often disheartened whenever the rainy weather was upon New York City.

She subconsciously traced her finger on the scar sliced across her right palm. Agata didn't remember how she got it and neither did her mom, she didn't even pay too much attention to it. But every time she woke up from a nightmare she'd always forget about or it rained, Agata found herself outlining and staring at it.

Her shoulder jumped when the noise of a sudden notification from Twitter brought her from her trail of thoughts. She checked to see who was it from and her blue eyes lit up to see it was from Richie Tozier, a comedian she enjoyed watched (even though some of his jokes were tasteless).

* * *

**Richie Tozier (verified)  
@urmomsayshi**

**7:16 AM – 5 Sep 2016**

_good morning everyone except whoever invented gluten-free pancakes! what a delicious breakfast before throwing a show_ ** (vomiting emoji) (heart emoji)**

* * *

She smiled and liked the tweet and reply right away.

* * *

**@urmomsayshi ** _Some people can't have gluten. And we have to treat them as equals because positivity is what keeps people going nowadays!_

* * *

Agata sent the reply, not hoping to be noticed from the flood of people commenting on Richie Tozier's tweet, and placed her phone back on her pocket before returning to the bathroom to dry her hair.

While staring at the mirror, as the noise from her hairdryer echoed through the tiled room, she stared at her own reflexion as a frown settled on her face. Agata was starting to have a bad feeling about today because something was off. Her morning was going too well and she had one hour to reach her clinic, which was only a mere ten minutes away by car. Usually, she would wake up a little later than today and rush out of her apartment, barely making it because of rush hour.

Her dark brown hair fell in waves to her back and shoulder as soon as they were dry. Then, Agata brushed through the waves gently before pulling her hair back into a ponytail—but then quickly changed her mind, letting her hair down and giving an assuring smile to herself. She grabbed her makeup bag from the corner of the counter and swiped a little eyeliner under the lids of her blue eyes.

They were too big for her face, she always thought.

Then, she brushed a little of contour powder on her cheeks and swiped some deep red lipstick on her lips.

Agata narrowed her eyes at her reflexion before clicking her tongue and cocking her head to the side. She nodded with a shy smile once happy with the way she looked before she left her bathroom and walked back to the kitchen — quickly turning back to get her forgotten mug.

She also inwardly cursed for forgetting about something rather important. In the bathroom again, Agata opened her medicine cabinet and took her Prozac pill bottle, taking one from inside the container and pocketing it as well as she placed the bottle inside the cabinet again.

Agata finally sat down at the table and took two long sips from her tea as she unlocked her phone again—she almost spat it back out when she had a notification from Richie Tozier himself.

He liked her comment—and replied!

* * *

**@doctoray** _Oh my. My mind has been opened, everyone heard the doctor! Gluten-free food is now officially okay!  
_**(4,332 likes)**

* * *

"Oh my_ fucking_ god," she gasped, feeling giddy and setting the mug on the table to promptly respond to the thread.

* * *

**@urmomsayshi** _I'm not that type of doctor. I'm a psychologist with an opinion! But thank you for replying, haha! Have a good day :)_

* * *

Agata didn't think he'd answer again, so she decided to end it on a good note. She noticed people beginning to like her response—even reacting with "GIFS" (Nick had explained millennial culture to her) and she had a good chuckle as her cheeks began to warm at certain comments of people finding the whole interaction cute.

* * *

**@richieismydaddy** _holy shit, richie replying to her comment only, tho?_  
**(24 likes)**

**@botanicpanic ** _omgggggg i'm living!_   
**(33 likes)**

**enjoylife4ever ** _SHE'S NICK'S SISTER! GUYS, DR. RAY IS NICK NEWBY'S SISTER! @_ **iammyownevilkermit** _ Nick! explain why your sister is talking with Richie Tozier?!11!_   
**(455 likes)**

* * *

"Oh, shit," Agata's eyes widened when the comments started to realize she was related to Nick—an internet celebrity and Youtuber/Viner. She felt so stupid! Nick has over seven million followers on each social platform he has an account on, so of course, he'd have some fans scattered around Twitter who happen to be Richie Tozier fans—Nick himself was a fan as well!

Looking at her phone's clock, she still had forty minutes to reach her clinic. After finishing her tea while making sure she had no more replies from the famous comedian, she placed the mug inside the washing machine and reached for a cup next to a water jar on the counter, filling it halfway while bringing the Prozac pill from her pocket into her mouth—with a frown, she donned it with three gulps of water and closed her eyes, sighing deeply.

Agata then walked back to her bathroom to brush her teeth, and after the process of flossing, Agata checked her breath and was happy with the scent of mint.

She passed by her nightstand and grabbed her strawberry flavored chapstick, and swiftly, she pressed it around her lips to prevent having them painfully dry from the cold air outside, holding to it as she grabbed her black handbag. She placed the chapstick on the front pocket and carried the bag towards the entrance while checking if everything she needed was inside.

Agata snatched her wallet from the cluttered table against the wall and slipped it into her handbag, inwardly shaking her head for always forgetting to put it back inside the bag every time she arrived home. Then she set the handbag down on the floor to grab and put on her dark-grey double-breasted coat, dark-blue knitted scarf from the peg by the door. She made sure to sling the scarf around her neck enough to cover her ears as well, not wanting to suffer from the cold air more than she already was going to.

Dr. Agata Ray briefly took a second to straighten herself out before she nodded, grabbed her handbag from the floor, and opened the door to step outside the hall. She always locked her door, even though she'd return in eleven hours. You could call it a tick. Agata knew she lived in a well-secured building with a trustworthy system and a friendly doorman that she has known for years.

She walked in on the elevator and it took her to the building's entrance, and after marching quickly towards the outside and beaming a 'good morning' to her doorman, Agata frowned at the cold wind mixed with the heavy rain pouring from the clouds.

Luckily her car was parked nearby, but she inwardly cursed when she didn't remember to bring her umbrella.

* * *

**Doctor Ray's Clinic, Lower Manhattan**

**6:33 PM**

Agata helped Jake, her five-forty appointment, wipe his tears and snot from his face after the began crying while pouring his heart out to her. She's been giving the eleven-year-old therapy for three weeks now, he had an intense case of ADHD and was recently traumatized when a teacher lost her patience with him and physically harmed him during detention.

"Just remember the deep breathing exercise that I taught you, okay?" she cooed at him. The session was over and Jake was a little shaken from opening up to her.

But he managed to nod, "Thanks, Dr. Ray."

Agata smiled, "Jake what do I always tell you?"

Giving her a sheepish look, the sandy-haired boy managed to offer her a shy smile before correcting himself, "Thanks, Aggie."

She sent him to wait outside as she discussed the session with his parents, answering their questions without breaking Jake's trust. Then, when the family left, Agata sat down on her chair and took a deep breath—she was done for the day.

She could hear Ashley prepping to close down the clinic, and it sorta reminded Agata of the same noise of that one kid that began putting their things inside their backpack when it was almost time for the bell that soon began a chain of every student following their lead as well. It was comforting.

Agata must've closed her eyes for a moment inside her office and fell asleep because usually she wasn't easily startled by the sound of her cell phone ringing. She straightened her hair and snatched it from her desk, and quickly picked up the call thinking it was work-related or someone from her family.

It wasn't like she had more phone contacts than that.

"Hello, Dr. Ray speaking," she greeted with a professional voice, smiling.

_"Agata?" _a voice quivered from the other side, it was male and Agata didn't recognize it at all, _"Agata Ray?"_

"Yes this is Agata Ray," she confirmed warily, not liking the hopeful tone the man carried.

The man let out a wavery exhale from the other side, _"It's Mike, Agata."_

_"Mike who?"_ she inquired with a cold tone, thinking that somehow a creep had gotten her number and decided to give her a call.

_"Mike Hanlon."_

_"You're okay now, we got you, Mike."_

_"Thanks, guys, but you shouldn't have done that. They'll be after you guys too, now."_

_"Oh, no, no, no—Bowers? He's always after us."_

_"I guess that's one t-thin-thing we have in common."_

_"Yeah, Homeschool. Welcome to the Losers Club!"_

_"Were all your friends now, Mike!"_

The unexpected echoes of fragments within the memories she had forgotten hit Agata as if she had dived inside a freezing, dark lake. She couldn't help but grimace at the headache it caused and at how the scar across her palm abruptly throbbed painfully.

_"Agata, are you okay?!"_ Mike asked, his voice full of concern.

"Yes—I'm," she paused, taking a deep breath and opened her eyes again as her heartbeat settled, "Sorry, that was overwhelming it's just, I forgot. I forgot about you, Mikey" Agata smiled as the nickname easily slipped out from her lips, "It's been so long."

Mike chuckled weakly, _"Twenty-six years and a month, exactly."_

The psychologist laughed, mentally noting that the man actually counted their time apart after all these years, "Whoa! This is so great, Mikey!" she beamed, remembering about the homeschooled boy even more, "How are you? How did you even find my number?" she asked good-naturedly.

She felt the light mood drop on the other side, and Agata couldn't help to feel anxious about it. She had a bad feeling this morning, and it carried with her all day. Maybe this was it, maybe Mike was about to tell her something horrible.

And no one could prepare Agata at how right she was.

_"IT has returned, Agata. You have to come back, to Derry," h_e told her solemnly and firmly.

"Derry..." she mumbled to herself, and as soon as she did Agata remembered the small town again, well, parts of it. She recalled her school, her childhood bedroom—and the forgotten gap between her thirteen and fourteen-year-old years was finally filled with curt memories of riding behind a boy's bike, jumping from high cliffs, throwing rocks at a group of older boys and "Jesus Christ, Mike, I remember the sewers!"

_"Yes, you'll remember more as soon as you arrive in Derry."_

** _"MY MEAL! MINE!"_ **

_"Like mommy, like daughter always smelling so nice for Pennywise!"_

_"Your mommy escaped me twenty-seven years ago, but I brought her back—oh yes I did!"_

Agata bemoaned, quickly feeling quite dizzy and nauseous as she tried to recall something off about those sewers. There was a certain feeling clawing at her brain and the brunette had no idea what her body was trying to tell her, "Mike, I can't—" she desperately tried.

_"We made an oath,"_ Mike interrupted her quickly as if he was prepared for it, _"Twenty-seven years ago, we all made a blood oath to come back if IT did. We promise—look at your palm, that scar is the evidence of that oath. You have to come back, everyone is. Tomorrow."_

_Everyone..._ Agata thought, remembering that she was always hanging out with a few kids back in Derry. She could see their faces, but not their names. All Agata knew was that she would trust those kids with her life, even after being apart for almost thirty years.

She stared at her palm, and a determined look crossed her face, "I'll be there tomorrow. I promise, Mikey."

_"I knew I could count on you. I'll text you where you're staying and where to meet me, oh, and Agata?"_

"Yes?" she asked weakly as her complexion completely drained until it became a pale white.

_"It's good to hear your voice," _he earnestly said before hanging up.

She let out a small chuckle as she settled her phone back in the desk, and with one last look towards the door, her blue eyes rolled to the back of her head as she lost consciousness and fainted on her chair.


	13. You'll Always Find a Way Back Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. I got the horrible news in my family and I was in a state of shock and anxiety for days.
> 
> Anyways, I felt good enough to write and re-watching IT: Chapter 2 many times to analyze the scenes for my story cheered me up enough.
> 
> I watched the scene when Mike calls the Losers and I was able to read from his notebook where they are currently living, and it's slightly different from the books:
> 
> Beverly and Eddie live in Manhattan, NYC (wow okay, if I knew Bev was also in Manhattan I would've written a small moment of the two seeing each other briefly as well).
> 
> Ben lives in Buffalo County, Missouri.
> 
> Bill lives in Los Angeles, California. (Crestview to be exact)
> 
> Richie lives in Illinois, Chicago (this shocked me the most, I really thought he was from L.A but I'm changing this slightly).
> 
> Stan still lives in Georgia, Atlanta. That's the only thing that hasn't changed!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**6:50 PM**

"What do you mean you have to leave?"

Agata sighed as she placed the now half-filled water cup that Ashley had brought to her on her desk. Just five minutes ago, the psychologist came to her senses and regained her consciousness to the sound of her assistant's distress voice over the phone with the nine-one-one dispatcher. She managed to stop the ambulance from making its way to the clinic by assuring Ashley she was more than fine, that she skipped breakfast and felt a little dizzy. But the twenty-five-year-old was still worried, even though she called off the medical assistance.

Agata wondered why she had felt so many intense feelings at the same time after talking to Mike over the phone. She felt excited at the idea of seeing her friends again. Ever since Mildred and Ellie left for Washington D.C seventeen years ago, Agata has never had any closer friends.

Ashley and her daughter were an exception because they were more like family. And Agata felt like the people she was about to have a reunion in Derry had been like her family when she was a teen as well. She still found it strange that she couldn't even remember to forget all of them—it was still too foggy for her.

"Just for a couple of days, I think. I have to go to Derry," Agata told her with a hazed look in her blue eyes, "I made an oath with my childhood friends from when I was thirteen, I can't miss it."

"An oath?" Ashley repeated with a confused expression, "And when you were thirteen? Dr. Ray, that was—"

"Twenty-seven years ago..." Agata answered, smiling fondly as the years passed by as memories in her mind, "Oh dear, you weren't even born," the doctor chuckled, feeling a little old as she walked past by the young adult, making her way to grab her coat from the peg rail behind the office's door.

She heard Ashley make a distressing sound before she materialized by her side, "Is everything okay? Who was that on the phone?"

Agata finished wrapping her body around the coat, "An old friend," she turned to her friend and smiled sadly, "Sweetie, I need you to make a few phone calls to cancel my appointments until Thursday, at least. And don't worry, I'm still paying you for these days you won't work."

Ashley didn't look pleased with that, in fact, she followed Agata down the hall when the other left her office after grabbing her purse from under the desk, "But Dr. Ray, what I am supposed to tell your patients?"

"Tell them I had a family emergency—" Agata said rushedly as she opened the front door, the cold, New York air slapped her face as she reminded herself of something, "Oh, shit. I have to call the agency and tell them I'm going to be out of town."

Ashley, who looked defeated, shook her head at her boss's sudden change of demeanor, "At least take an umbrella with you."

Outside, Agata turned around to look at her young assistant. Her hands were trembling as she gripped her purse close to her chest, "It's okay, it stopped raining three hours ago."

The assistant watched the psychologist walk away to her car, pacing hurriedly as if she was running away from her. And Ashley's young heart couldn't help but worry about her boss—her honorary mother. Not that Ashley has ever told Agata that, she was too embarrassed or scared of losing her job if she ever crossed that line. She knew Agata would never let her go because of it, but what Ashley feared the most was the effect that it would have on their relationship.

For now, she turned back to finally close the clinic for the day. As soon as she got home from picking up Lyra from preschool she would make all the phone calls necessary.

* * *

**The Larstrand Apartments**

**9:22 PM**

Agata had already booked a flight to Boston that would leave at six in the morning sharp. The reason why she was going home first before Derry was because she remembered a certain box full of memories in the back of her old closet, which was now Nick's. She hoped it was still there—Agata knew there were a lot of important objects inside of it.

She was leaving to the LaGuardia Airport in six hours. So when Agata arrived home she wasted no time in packing some comfortable clothes and choose what to take for dinner.

Mike had texted her that when she arrived in Derry, she'd have a room ready for her in the Town House and then the Losers would have dinner at a Chinese restaurant called the Jade of the Orient under Mike's reservation name. She was eager for tomorrow night, seemingly oblivious of the fact of the danger that expected her in the small town.

Agata packed a pair of black skinny jeans and red wine cold shoulder blouse to wear for the dinner and then more casual clothing for the plane rides and the day after. In her four-wheel cabin baggage bag, she also put a traveling toiletry bag inside with a pair of her running sneakers inside a plastic bag. Pleased with her packing, she wheeled the cabin baggage and left it near the coat hanger by her entrance.

She returned to her bedroom and hurried her steps when she heard her phone's notification sound go off—she's been expecting it. She didn't know who was it from but her gut told her that it was going to happen.

Agata unlocked her phone and checked her notifications, and she let out a surprised gasp.

* * *

**Richie Tozier (verified)  
urmomsayshi**

**9:29 PM – 5 Sep 2016**

_hey guys, sorry how terrible my show was tonight. I'll be leaving for a couple of days for personal reasons and I won't be on any social media until I come back. See ya_

* * *

"Wait... Richie?" Agata mumbled to herself before feeling a sharp pain inside her head.

_"Are you okay?" he swam towards her and gripped her shoulder as she coughed into her arm, just like Eddie had taught her._

_"Yeah!" she wheezed, chortling at the same time. His hand on her shoulder was starting to burn her skin so she smoothly dove under the water to shrug it off while pretending she just wanted to wet her hair._

_But Richie was still just a step away from her, looking at her in that odd, longing way again._

_He was giving Agata a strange vibe ever since that game, and Agata felt compelled to explore more of it. They stared at each other for a long time, and Agata shyly hid half of her face in the water as her cheeks reddened._

Agata remembered a lanky boy with unruly hair, bucked teeth, and a fantastic way of never managing to shut his mouth.

_Trashmouth._

Her trashmouth.

_"I'm sorry Richie but would it really work out?"_

_"Aggie, please! We can try, we can send letters and meet every summer!"_

_"Rich"_

_"I'll get a job and save for a car! I'll drive to Boston if I have to, please"_

_"Richie, we need to be realistic. I love you, you know I do but try to understand"_

_"You're right, you're always right. But I'll never give up on you, Aggie. You're my girl, never forget it. You'll always be my girl."_

Agata didn't realize she had started crying until she fell tears sliding down her cheeks. These sudden memories were starting to overwhelm her again, and Agata had to sit down on her bed before she passed out again. Her heart hurt, it felt the same as it did when Kendrick and her broke up twenty years ago.

God... it's been _that_ long since Kendrick—the man she thought it had been her first love. Her first at everything. But with all these memories flooding her mind, Agata realized that perhaps this Richie boy had beaten Kendrick to it.

Agata knew Kendrick was married now, she found him on Instagram. He had a beautiful wife and two children. He seemed happy, and that filled Agata's heart with warmness. She didn't contact him, it was enough to know he was doing well with his life.

But she couldn't stop thinking about her love life all of a sudden. And this Richie Tozier guy wouldn't leave her mind. He felt so familiar.

Sighing, she liked the comedian's tweet as usual and plugged her phone into its battery on her nightstand, checking if her alarm was set for three in the morning before leaving her phone and walk towards the bathroom to brush her teeth. And as she was finishing the methodical procedure, she heard her phone vibrate from her nightstand—signalizing she had a text message.

After leaving the bathroom when she was done with flossing, Agata turned off the lights of her room—letting the city lights engulf the area for tonight—and got into her bed, covering her body with the duvet and leaning on her shoulder to check the text from her phone.

* * *

**From: Mom <3  
To: Me  
(9:55 PM)**

_I can't wait to see you tomorrow, honey. I don't know why you're suddenly coming but it must be important. Goodnight xx_

* * *

Agata smiled but she didn't reply, wanting her mom to think she was already sleeping. She placed her charging phone back in the nightstand and rested her head on her pillow to finally sleep. And she needed to rest because tomorrow it was going to be a really interesting day for the psychologist.

She was scared—but excited.

* * *

**Tuesday, September 6th**

**Boston, Massachusetts**

**7:30 AM**

Agata breathed with relief as she exited Boston Logan International Airport. After reclaiming her baggage, Agata went to the Starbucks inside the airport and ordered a peppermint white chocolate mocha because she was in the mood for something sweet—and because her mom had an amazing coffee machine that she couldn't wait to use.

After some insisting from her mom, Agata accepted a ride back to her house from her stepdad. She felt a little guilty for waking him up so early but Walter said he didn't mind since after dropping her home he'd go to work. And he was a morning person, something that Nick definitely didn't inherit.

Two minutes passed, and while she sipped from her warm beverage (that came in useful since it was cold in Boston) Agata heard a familiar honk coming from her left. She spotted Walter's Dodge Grand Caravan parking by the curb.

Walter left the car and jogged quickly towards her, beaming in her direction.

"Hello, Agata!" the man said before he wrapped his arms around his stepdaughter, carefully minding her drink, "Welcome back, and good morning!"

Agata smiled as the broke the hug, "Thanks Walt, and good morning to you too," she told him warmly as Walter reached for her cabin baggage, "Oh, wait—I can take that!"

He simply smiled, "It's okay, we have to go anyways I kinda parked illegally," he chuckled as he began to walk towards his car, with Agata following as well.

Walter always drove carefully, and Agata had a sense of comfort as she heard the radio play eighties music. As she closed her eyes, while hearing it, she could imagine herself in her bedroom, lying on her bed while reading magazines for teen girls whilst Duncan laid in the carpet.

Duncan.

She missed her boy it's been eighteen years ever since her loyal pet passed away and Agata always found herself thinking about him every time she'd seen someone walk their dog. She thought about adopting a dog herself, but she's barely home and Agata feels that she'd leave her dog alone too long to the point of being abusive.

Her mom and step-dad had Nina, a mixed dog with chihuahua blood that was the sweetest even though she was already losing her sight after eighteen years of being around—after all, she was adopted in ninety-nighty-eight. They were thinking about bringing another dog into the family, and Agata had ideas of giving them one on her mom's birthday, which was in two weeks.

"So, how's life in the big apple?" Walter suddenly asked as he stopped at a red light.

Boston was such a vivid city, but so different from New York, "Oh, well. Same old, same old. Everyone's too busy to stop walking and there's never a dull moment," Agata told him, vaguely waving her arm as Walter snorted.

"I bet. You know, Nick wants to move to New York," the sixty-four-year-old stated, suddenly looking tired.

Agata took one look at him and realized that he wasn't keen on Nick's idea, "Oh? I thought he wanted to go to L.A?" she wondered.

The light turned green and Walter continued driving, "Yeah, he wanted to move there because almost all of his youtubing friends live there."

Agata chuckled, "You mean, Youtuber."

Sheepishly, the man shrugged, "Eh, same thing."

"Do you know the reason why he changed his mind?" she queried.

Walter pondered before speaking, "He says he wants to be near you."

Agata grimaced, feeling guilty right away, "Oh" they text each other every day, she's always there when he needs to vent and Nick is always excited whenever she comes to Boston—but Agata had no idea he missed her this much.

"He admires you, you know?" Walter said, chuckling softly, "Did you know that, when he was sixteen, he wanted to follow your footsteps and become a psychologist?"

That, surprised her, "What?"

"Yeah, but he gave up on the idea when I told him you spent a decade in college to become one," Walter sniggered, reviving Nick's dismayed reaction fondly.

Agata raised her chin, feigning arrogance, "Twelve years, actually!"

Walter whistled, "Jesus, I forgot. The years went by so quickly that it all seemed like a blink of an eye."

Agata agreed with her stepdad, the years passed fast. She still retained the smell of coffee from the adjoined cafeteria in her dorm building—and yet, she couldn't remember Derry. And the faceless kids that started haunting her mind. She could revive her first school day in Boston, she could even recollect what she wore that day—but before Boston everything was foggy.

Apart from acknowledging that at one period in her childhood, she lived in a small apartment with her mom in New York City.

But God, as much as she tried she couldn't retrieve part of her life about being thirteen going fourteen years old.

"Hey, Walt?"

"Hm?"

"Has mom ever mention Derry?"

"Derry?" Walter repeated with a sense of heed, "No, not really. Wait—where's Derry?"

"In Maine."

"Maine?"

"Yes, Maine. But nevermind."

After that, they settled into tranquil silence. And when it was nearing eight in the morning, Walter parked his car by the driveway of his house. Agata sighed at the nostalgia as she gazed at one of her childhood homes.

The well-kept Colonial two-story house included a private beautiful yard and deck with plenty of garden and patio space (off the main road that Alexandra thought it was peaceful).

The interior offered a simple layout. All-natural wood and vintage-style made for a charming and cozy atmosphere that allowed Agata to concentrate better on her studies as a high school student.

It was also central to local boutique shops, groceries, and it brought plenty of options for authentic food/drink, international cuisine, local breweries, entertainment, parks/dogparks/skateparks. Agata learned to do daily errands because they could be achieved on foot—and that was one of the reasons she never required a car, even after acquiring her license.

The neighborhood had it all: history, style, diversity, and is still up and coming as the years went by.

Agata missed living in Boston, but she was content in New York City as well.

When they got off the car, Agata saw the front door open immediately—and she beamed when the woman barely saw her mom's figure standing still as she jogged towards her, drawing the two together in a warm embrace.

"Mom!" Agata blurted happily, surprised to see her up so early in the morning.

"Agata! Oh honey, welcome home!" Alexandra cooed, pressing a kiss on her daughter's cheek. Her eyes looked teary, and Agata couldn't help but almost roll her eyes at her mom's dramatic self.

"Mom, why aren't you sleeping? It's so early!" the psychologist questioned as she heard Walter pick up her baggage from the car's trunk.

"I couldn't sleep, I wanted to see you right away! I've missed you so much—oh and honey, I made breakfast," Alexandra hastily added as she glanced at her husband, "Eat something before you go, okay?" she told him softly.

"Thanks, hon!" Walter called out as he passed by them, briefly kissing her cheek before making his way inside the house.

Alexandra's eyes regarded him and when he was gone she returned to her daughter with a solemn look on her face, "Have you eaten anything today?"

Agata shook her head, knowing that lying to her mom would never work, "No."

After some good old fashioned scolding, Alexandra led her daughter into the house and sat her down at the small table in the kitchen where pancakes expected her. Walter ate hurriedly and downed his coffee before kissing his wife, and Agata's head, before leaving for work.

**8:20 AM**

Agata's flight to Bangor left at three in the afternoon, which left her with at least three hours to get the box from Nick's closet and leave for the airport. If her mom tried to persuade her to linger for lunch, Agata knew she'd miss her flight so she had to be very crafty with her excuse.

Both women were convening at the table, breakfast dishes already in the sink as they savored a good cup of coffee while idly catching up to each other's lives—some things were better said in person than during a phone call or text messages. They were also mindful that Nick was currently sleeping upstairs—Alexandra mentioned that he stayed up at least until four in the morning doing a live stream—but he knew she was coming so Nick presumably would be up before noon just to see his sister.

"So tell me" Alexandra began with a sly smile, "Any men up your strings or women?" she shimmied her eyebrows, making Agata chortle with a shocked expression.

"Mom!"

"What? We're both adults here, and I'm your mom so if you're currently seeing someone I should be the first one to know!" Alexandra shrugged, her laughing lines popping out.

Agata shook her head, "There is nobody," she asserted wetly, abruptly feeling her stomach churn. Why did she feel as if she was lying? She had no romantic partner in her life.

Alexandra's glowing expression withered, "Oh, well. That's fine. I'm just glad to have you home again, but you said you wouldn't be here for that long, what's that about?"

This was it. Agata inhaled and gawked at the coffee inside her mug as she spoke, "Well, I remembered something that I neglected in my—Nick's room. Well, when it was my room, I mean."

Alexandra leaned in, curiosity in her face, "Oh? I don't remember you leaving something behind, and Nick and I have cleaned that room plenty of times."

"It's in the back of the closet, a shoebox filled with childhood memories that I could never remember until now," Agata said with a distant look in her blue eyes, "Letters from strangers kids in a photo with me that I can't recall. I mean, isn't it odd?"

From the corner of her eyes, Agata saw her mom visibly tense, "Odd? Yes Now that you mention it, it's really unusual."

Agata looked at her mom and saw a vacant expression in her face, it was as if she was having a challenging time comprehending what she was attempting to imply. Agata quickly regretted bringing it up, so she quickly tried to change the subject.

"Yeah, well. I'll go get it after Nick wakes up," she coated a smile on her lips, "Well! Where's Nina?" to emphasize, she looked around the floor, searching for the small dog.

Alexandra smiled wistfully, "Oh, she's so old she lost her hearing so she probably doesn't even know you're here. She's been sleeping upstairs, in Nick's room—you know how she's attached to him."

"Just like Duncan was attached to me" Agata sighed, laughing fondly at the memories.

Alexandra cooed, "I remember, Duncan was so protective over you!"

_Duncan whined as he rested his head on Agata's lap._

_She was now inside her house, sitting on the couch of her living room with the television on to create background noise. As Agata petted Duncan, bringing her comfort, she eyed her front door intently and expectantly. Her skinned injuries still burned a little, but she at least she had used a cloth to wash them all with water, but the more they kept stinging the more Agata realized that she dreadfully didn't imagine her encounter with that demonic *****._

_(...)_

_Agata did end up crying for a few minutes before Duncan was able to calm her down. It seems that her dog tried to warn her before, and even though he couldn't help her Agata had a feeling that Duncan sensed ********* before It had revealed Itself to her._

_But Duncan's passive nature at the moment relaxed her a bit, maybe ** was gone._

_But then, when Duncan began barking again she was on high alert, eyes widening as she looked around the room while rising to her feet. With a frightened expression, Agata's eyes followed Duncan as the loyal dog made his way towards the front door, and seconds later, a knock imitating Shave and a Haircut was heard and Agata instantly knew Richie was the one on the other side._

_Richie._

_Ri..._

"...gata? Agata!"

The psychologist's shoulders quivered in surprise when her mom suddenly touched her, she glanced at her sheepishly and placed a strand of her hair behind her ear, "Sorry, I got sidetracked reminiscing about the good times I had with Duncan."

It wasn't all a lie. She did have a sudden memory with her dog—but it wasn't a good one. God, why couldn't she remember why fear overwhelmed her that day? It was all so frustrating!

"Honey, why don't you take a nap in my bed? You must be surely exhausted after traveling and waking up so early," Alexandra fussed, resting a soothing hand on her daughter's shoulder.

Agata drank the rest of her coffee while shaking her head, "I can't. I have a plane to catch in seven hours and I can't risk—"

"You're leaving that soon? I thought you were staying, at least for a day!" her mom exclaimed at once, frowning gloomily.

Agata nodded, giving her mom a rueful look, "I know, and I'm sorry for dropping by only to leave too quickly, but I have to be someplace tonight and I can't delay it."

Alexandra huffed through her nose and abruptly rose from her seat, taking her mug and Agata's with her towards the sink, "Tonight? Where?" she inquired with a clipped tone.

"I can't tell you, at least not now," Agata explained, prepared for her questions. She couldn't risk having her mom remember as well. Not after reviving the conversation they had the day after Agata returned home, following the fight against something.

* * *

** _August 23rd, 1989_ **

_ **7:55 PM** _

_Alexandra knew that something was wrong as soon as she walked inside her house. For instance, Duncan ran up the stairs as soon as she took the leash from his collar. Someone was obviously up there, and when she looked at the time she hoped it was her daughter._

_She was carrying a grocery plastic bag, and she wandered to the kitchen to place it on the counter, huffing a little because there were two cartons of milk inside. Still, at least Agata would have enough._

_"Mom?"_

_"Oh, thank God," Alexandra murmured to herself with extreme relief before turning around to face her daughter, who was still wearing her outside clothes and regarding her with a guarded expression, "Hi honey, sorry I came home late. I did a quick grocery shopping trip and—"_

_"Mom. We need to talk," Agata interrupted with a determined tone._

_Alexandra raised her eyebrows, looking at her thirteen-year-old with surprise, "Oh role-reversal, I see," she grinned, but Agata kept a neutral face. Alexandra dropped her smile._

_"Let's go to the living room," Agata told her awkwardly, walking away without waiting for her mom to reply. Duncan followed her behind closely, tail waggling and unaware of the sudden tense air around the house._

_Alexandra quickly trailed her daughter as well, not desiring Agata to change her mind to whatever she wanted to talk about. It was important for Alexandra to understand what was going through her daughter's mind and teenagers sometimes were hard to read._

_Agata was sitting on the couch, waiting for her to sit down next to her._

_"Mom?"_

_"Yes, daughter?"_

_"Do you know something about"_

* * *

Agata chocked, standing from her chair as sudden as her mom had. She covered her mouth, attempting to hold in the bemoan from the piercing pain she was feeling inside her head. The more she tried to remember, the more Agata's headache would increase.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Alexandra asked worriedly, bringing her daughter out from her provoked disposition.

"I'm fine," Agata quickly said, "I need to use the bathroom," she added before exiting the kitchen, wandering down the corridor towards the staircase to ascend it before she could hear her mom's response.

Agata locked herself in the bathroom upstairs and immediately turned on the faucet's water, splashing her face with it to combat the churning sensation and dizziness starting to affect her body. Her mind was like an unfinished puzzle right now, and the closer she got to Derry the more she seemed to recall certain memories that have been lost for twenty-six years.

She decided to close her eyes and begin some breathing exercises, she didn't want to cause any concerning attention—if her mom even suspected that she was returning to Derry Agata had a hunch that she wouldn't allow her daughter to go. But Agata still wanted to reunite with her middle school friends, she felt in her heart that they were like family to her—even after all these years apart.

Letting out a deep inhale, she re-opened her eyes and nodded to herself in the mirror. She looked better, at least not that pale anymore.

The rest of the morning went smoothly. Agata helped her mom clean the kitchen by washing the dishes from the breakfast while Alexandra watered her garden. It was peaceful to watch her mom hum to herself a happy tune while peacefully making sure every flower had its fill of water.

Ten minutes past one in the afternoon, just when Alexandra began preparing lunch, Nick ran downstairs with a sleepy grin and a bed hair and bolted towards Agata, crushing their bodies together into a tight hug as laughter surrounded them. Agata was so thrilled to see her baby brother again, Nick might be twenty years old but she would never stop seeing him as her kid brother.

_Bill had a kid brother._

Agata managed to hide her startled expression by holding a lingering smile when she heard her own voice state that inside her mind. She heard Nick talk about what he's been doing, and nodding attentively even when he spoke too fast, never getting tired of listening to her brother's rambling. But, now that he was up, all she wanted was to sneak inside his room and get her shoebox from the back of the closet. It was getting late and she only had less than two hours to reach the airport and catch her plane to Bangor, Maine. If she missed this flight then she would never reach Derry in time for the dinner.

Alexandra separated the siblings by fussing over Nick, telling him to go shower because he stank of sweat and Doritos. Nick and Agata laughed at that but, to have this as the perfect opportunity to slip away, the older sister agreed with their mom and jokingly ordered her brother to go upstairs and take a shower.

Which Nick did.

And when Agata was sure he was inside the shower, she told her mom she was going to make a quick phone call to her assistant and sneaked upstairs, knowing where the creaky spots of the stairs were by recalling them from sneaking to the kitchen at three in the morning to grab some snacks.

She paced quickly down the hall and entered her brother's room, and Agata didn't waste any time by judging how messy it was—Nick was a chaotic person but he knew how to live in his own chaos as well. Fortunately for Agata, he never bothered to clean his closet as well, and after pushing many unfolded clothes aside, her arm dived deep into the back to the closet until she fell the square object she earned for.

Her shoebox.

Grinning victoriously, she promptly left her old bedroom—after looking around for a moment and smiling bittersweetly at the memories—and entered her mom and stepdad's room, closing the door behind her.

She made her way towards their bed and placed the box on top of it, hesitating for a moment before opening it. Her eyes watered right away at the contents inside.

A polaroid photo, that seemed to be taken from a photo booth, of a group of eight children, smiling happily or making goofy faces at the camera. Agata saw herself as a thirteen-year-old, standing between a boy with big spectacles and messy hair and a tall boy with curly, light hair. She found herself smiling softly as her eyes wandered to each of the kid's faces, and her heartbeat gently at the affection she suddenly felt for all of them.

Then, something she recalled always wearing even before Derry: her silver necklace. And she pulled it slowly from the box, she noticed a slight alteration to it—there was a small, locket pendant attached to it, and when she pried it open there was a small photo of her thirteen-year-old self kissing the cheek of the boy with the messy hair and glasses.

Again, Agata sighed when she felt the incoming headache when she tried to recall who this boy was. She decided to put the necklace around her neck though, maybe having it close to her would help.

The next item was a bracelet with pink and white beads with larger ones saying 'BFF'. This was obviously a friendship bracelet that someone had made and gifted to her kid self—and Agata smiled fondly at it as she placed it around her right wrist, hoping to meet the person that created it soon.

The photo, she pocketed it carefully.

Then, she placed the empty shoebox hidden under the bed and recollected herself before going downstairs with a casual expression as Nick was still showering.

She grabbed her phone on her way from her purse and checked the time.

**1:33 PM**

Agata had to leave. Now.

She grabbed her things and told her mom she was going.

"What?! But what about lunch?"

"Mom, I have to go."

"But honey, you didn't even say goodbye to Nick! "

Agata sighed, knowing that her mom was right. But if she were to go upstairs and tell Nick that she was leaving, she felt like he was the only one who could convince her to stay, at least, for lunch. And she couldn't risk it, the psychologist still needed to call for a taxi and she didn't know if there was traffic on the way to the airport.

She told her mom she was sorry, then, without looking back, she grabbed her baggage from the foyer and walked out of the house, painfully ignoring her mother's cries for her to come back—she simply crossed the street and paced quickly to her left, walking at least three blocks before stopping to catch her breath.

She called for a taxi, and five minutes later it showed up.

* * *

**Bangor International Airport, Maine**

**6:44 PM**

Agata fought back against another incoming yawn and she walked out from the third airport she had been today. She nursed herself a black coffee with only one spoon of sugar because she hoped the caffeine would keep her awake for the fifty-minute drive she was about to endure towards Derry. She slept two of the three hours of the flight so perhaps that would be enough for her body to function properly.

Mike texted her that the dinner reservation was at eight-thirty so the forty-year-old was in a rush to rent a car and get on the road to have enough time to shower and change into the outfit she had chosen for the reunion.

What she wasn't expecting was for the agency that rented cars at the airport to run out of them—as they carefully explained, the last car had been rented exactly thirty minutes before her arrival.

Before she could panic, she suddenly remembered that Derry had a bus station, and that memory came gracefully in time because when she ran towards the airport's bus station, there was about to leave for Derry. Agata got lucky, and as she sat down on her bus seat, Agata laughed to herself.

Maybe a higher power was helping her reach Derry, she couldn't pinpoint why or how but she could feel something guiding her.

When the bus was ten minutes into the road, Agata asked the person sitting next to her how long would it take to reach Derry, and the nice old man told her just about forty-five minutes, and Agata allowed herself to rest back against her seat and close her eyes with relief coursing through her body.

Now, all she had to do was get to Derry and mentally prepare herself for seeing friends she hasn't seen in twenty-six years.

Amongst another thing she wasn't aware of—yet.


	14. Reunited and it Feels so Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Derry Map was always open in another tab as I wrote this because I wanted to be certain about the locations of this chapter. The time that Agata takes to reach each place is real, or at least almost. Please enjoy!
> 
> A few words before you start reading this chapter:
> 
> (IMPORTANT PLEASE READ)
> 
> Richie is bisexual in my story. As a kid, he held affection for Eddie (that he didn't know it was romantic because he was very sexually confused, scared of his attraction to boys and he was 13 years old) but liked Agata more. You'll see Richie go through a dilemma in this story because even though it's obvious he still has feelings for Agata I'm not going to ignore the subplot of him loving Eddie as well.
> 
> Reddie is my favorite ship and I was very nervous when RichiexOC won the poll. I feel like this story isn't as popular as it could be because it's RichiexOC but oh well, it is what it is and I actually have something planned that might make everyone happy.
> 
> You're in for a treat. ;)

**7:33 PM**

Agata was starting to panic.

At this point, the psychologist realized that she was going to cut close for the reunion dinner but she also hoped that she wouldn't be the last one to arrive. Still, inside the bus, Agata could only view outside the window and follow the trees of the vast forest that surrounded the road passing by.

She had a delightful conversation with the old man sitting next to her, he told her he was visiting his family and then revealed her photos of his two grandchildren that were unmistakably the world to him.

Agata couldn't help to envy the man for having a big family, she wondered if one day she'd have grandchildren of her own. Even at her age.

She was so distracted by her thoughts that she nearly missed the familiar sign approximating her eyesight.

**PENOBSCOT**

**COUNTY**

**D**

**E**

**R**

**R**

**Y**

**MAINE**

**Derry Welcomes You!**

**Welcome back  
Aggie!**

She was speechless at first, dismayed as she felt her stomach churning at the words printed in a red liquid—she couldn't even think of the word 'blood' without feeling nauseated. Promptly, Agata perched back on her seat and withdrew from peering out of her window for the remaining of the bus ride, dreading to see something else too cryptic.

Five anxious minutes passed and the bus finally stopped on the Bus Terminal.

Agata rushed out of it, seized her luggage and hastily checked the time—she had fifty minutes to reach the Townhouse, check-in, shower, change clothes and arrive at the Jade of the Orient Restaurant. As a New Yorker, she was used to handling traffic and managing her time well enough to avoid being late to her clinic, but this was a small town, a place where she hasn't been in twenty-six years. She had no idea where to attain a taxi or how far she was from the lodge.

Luckily for her, after examining the Derry map from the terminal, she discovered that she was only two blocks away. Agata could be there in less than ten minutes if she was fleet with her pacing. And the faster she got there, the quicker she could get ready—her heart even soared at the notion of bumping into one of the Losers there.

_The Losers Club._

It was like a shock coursed through her body. Now that she was in Derry, more recollections began channeling back within her subconscious.

Agata marched away from the Bus Terminal, inwardly memorizing the correct way towards the Townhouse as she looked around, acknowledging the reminiscences of her as a young teenager to retreat back to her.

She passed by the Aladdin Theater first, which sadly was closed off and for sale. It was disheartening to see it in this awful state, vandalized and hollow. The brunette had pleasant memories of this place, but there was something dreadful nagging at the back of her head.

_"It wasn't that scary, Aggie!"_

_"You're right, it was more goofy than scary."_

_"Yeah, I know right?"_

_"But man, Freddy Krueger is still cool, right?" he resumed, still high on succeeding to sneak inside a rated R movie._

_Agata's smile staggered, "Heh I guess" she felt like she was already existing in a horror flick of her own, but she had to admit that spending time with Richie—just the two of them—was pleasant. She could even giddily fantasize that this was a date._

Agata witnessed her thirteen-year-old self leave the theater with a boy walking by her side. Her blue eyes observed them until the road, where they faded from her sight. It made her simper though because she was definitely beginning to remember—slowly, bit by bit.

Agata sighed and resumed her walking, identifying some of the buildings, shops, homes—until she approached the second block, where a familiar alley next to the Center Street Drug Store was. She stood in front of Richard's Alley, now shadowed because of the nightfall, and she couldn't help but close her eyes as yet another recollection joined her mind.

_"Just suck the wound!" Richie told Eddie._

_"I need to focus right now," Eddie snarked at him._

_"You need to focus?" the trashmouth repeated._

_"Yeah, can you go get me something?"_

_"Jesus, what do you need?!" Richie asked nervously as he saw all the blood from the bandage Eddie was trying to apply._

_"Go get my bifocals. I hid 'em in my second fanny pack."_

_"Why do you have two fanny packs?" Stan asked, surprised._

_"I need to focus right now, and it's a long story," Eddie replied._

_"Where's Bill?" she asked, looking behind towards the alley's exit, "Why is he standing there?"_

_Stan shrugged, "Probably waiting for Beverly Marsh," he mumbled._

"Beverly Marsh..." Agata restated gingerly with a fond expression.

Shaking her head, she reminded herself that she needed to reach the Townhouse quicker than this. Fortunately for her, she arrived at her address in three minutes, but that still left her with less than an hour to get ready. She trotted inside the inn, impatiently sounding the bell for some service that was at the reception.

And after twenty seconds of expecting it, she grew exasperated and resolved to go around the counter and get the keys of her room herself. She remembered the number, Mike told her after all.

Agata liked how reliable and considerate Mike is—_was_, he always was like this. She was starting to remember that now.

**7:46 PM**

As soon as she went up the stairs and located her room, Agata shut and locked the door behind her and settled her bags on top of her bed. She huffed, looking around for a second before unzipping her baggage to take her toiletries pouch from inside before stepping towards the annexed bathroom, where she turned on the shower's water stream, and as she anticipated for it to get warmer, Agata stripped down her clothes and cringed at how untidy her hair looked after glimpsing at the mirror.

She spent the entire day traveling and Agata felt like just shutting her eyes and rest but the idea of missing out seeing her friends again made her heart hammer from anticipation.

Agata got inside the shower and drew the curtains to close her in, and after settling her toiletries in the corner of the tub, she quickly got under the hot water and began the methodical process of taking a shower.

Ten minutes later, Agata walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her torso and her skin moisturized with her favorite vanilla-scented cream. Her wet hair was wrapped around a smaller towel, some of her curls peeking out as they stubbornly clung onto her neck.

She checked her phone and ignored the lump in her throat when she saw the missing calls and texts she had from her mom and Nick. Agata felt extremely guilty for seeing her brother for a few minutes before leaving, but she would regard him after the whole Derry thing—she would take a few days off and take him somewhere for the weekend.

After brushing her worries away, she realized that she only had thirty minutes to dress up and get to the Chinese restaurant.

And while she unzipped the rest of her baggage to take her clothes out, Agata heard footsteps hurrying down the inn's corridor outside, but before she could think about who could've been the sound of a door opening and quickly being closed followed after, and Agata shrugged, continuing arranging her outfit for tonight.

She put on her black skinny jeans and red wine cold shoulder blouse and shivered a little at the cold air around her. She predicted that Derry might've been a little colder than New York so she had placed a grey cardigan that warmed her arms right away after she placed it on. Agata decided to leave it unbuttoned to avoid sweating, but she still sprayed some deodorant just to play it safe.

After that, she rummaged within her bag in search of her black faux leather strap sandals and had a mini heart-attack when she couldn't locate them—turns out they were just at the bottom of the bag.

All she needed to do was dry her hair and comb it, then apply some makeup and then call for a taxi.

Agata found out from the Derry Map that Jade of the Orient was on Derry Heights, on the other side of the town, right next to the mall that used the be the old Kitchener Ironworks—it appears that even a small town like Derry couldn't avoid the modernization that was the future. Not that she was going to miss it, that place was an abandoned building with a disturbing history so it was only standing as ruins.

More ten minutes passed, and she had just hung up the phone call with the Derry Taxi Center in the request of one cab for herself—they said it would be here in five minutes and she hoped they stuck to their words.

Agata checked her reflection in the mirror: her hair was now tamed and brushed, and she chose to let it loose for tonight. Her makeup was simple too, just a little base to cover her dark circles, eyeliner, a little bit of red lipstick and mascara. Agata assumed she looked decent, but to the eyes of someone else, her appearance was beautiful.

She couldn't stay inside her room any longer, so Agata grabbed the keys, her purse with her wallet and phone inside, turned off the lights and exited from it after making sure the door stayed locked. Then, she descended the stairs with her heart almost plummeting from her chest and stepped until she entered the brisk air outside.

Looking around outside, while standing right next to the Townhouse sign, she couldn't help to feel a little paranoid when the feeling that she was being observed crept up her spine. She held her purse under her arm protectively, as if it could work as a shield, but the only moment that truly calmed her down was when her taxi finally arrived at 8:23.

* * *

**Jade of the Orient, Derry**

**8:33 PM**

As her taxi pulled up outside the restaurant, Agata felt her heart claw its way into her throat. She felt nauseous, or at least halfway to getting sick right here on the pavement before she even had a chance to say hello. What would they think of her? And why was she so anxious about what her childhood friends would deem when she hadn't even remembered their names for twenty-six years? They might as well be strangers to each other now. After so long, what would there be to hold them together?

She took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling gently to herself as Agata inwardly soothed her nerves before finding the courage to cross the road and step towards the doors of the restaurant. And just when she was about to do that, she noticed a woman approaching it first.

Agata gasped. It was a little dark, but thanks to the lights emitting from the building, she could see the back of this woman well enough to see her short, wavy red hair. Agata watched as this redhead woman hesitated in front of the doors as if she was pondering about entering it. Then, a taller man approached her from behind, startling the redhead woman and making her turn around to face him. Agata saw her surprised expression, but when it melted into a happy one she observed as the two hugged each other tightly.

That was definitely Beverly. But Agata couldn't recognize the man whose back was turned to her.

She was yet about to cross the road when she noticed a red convertible parking by the curb next to the hugging friends—they didn't notice when a man got out of it, circling his car to meet up with them and interrupt their reunion.

Agata's legs began walking without her controlling them.

She just crossed the road, towards them, her blue eyes fixated on the new arrival.

"Wow you two look amazing, what the fuck happened to me?" she heard him tell Beverly and the other man while keeping his hands inside his leather jacket.

Richie Tozier was tall and pale with a mess of curly black hair, thick-rimmed glasses resting comfortably on the bridge of his nose. He was smiling, but he looked sadder than Agata ever remembered seeing him that summer.

"Hey, man," he said, leaning in to give the other man a hug and a pat on the back. "It's Richie!"

It was impossible not to laugh.

"I know," Ben told him softly as he watched his estranged friend move to hug Beverly.

"Hi!"

That's when Agata decided to make herself present, it was now or never. And the first one to notice her was the first man, whose warm eyes reminded her of a certain chubby boy.

"Agata?!" Ben exclaimed, his eyes going wide from pleasant surprise as he wasted no time in meeting her halfway to give her a bear hug, drawing a chuckle from the psychologist.

"Hi Ben?" she looked up at him, snickering, "You got taller," she quipped at him, making him laugh.

Agata couldn't see the reaction from Beverly and the other man, but she heard the redhead gasp and walk towards them.

"Agata! Oh my God!" Beverly cried with tears in her eyes as Ben let go of the brunette to allow the two women to crush into each other's arms.

_"We'll always be best friends forever, right?"_

_"Always Bev, we have this to prove it!"_

Agata could feel the friendship bracelet burn in her skin, but she found herself welcoming the warmth as Beverly pulled away from the hug, smiling at her fondly as she quickly cleaned some of her tears away.

"I missed you so much..." Beverly whispered emotionally.

And Agata sees that. She didn't mean to go all psychologist and analyze the redhead but she could see the dark circles under Beverly's blue eyes over countless sleepless nights, the way her hands seized tightly onto Agata's arms as if she was clinging desperately, wordlessly inviting comfort. It was clear that Beverly genuinely missed her.

"I missed you too, Bev," Agata easily told her, smiling warmly.

The two shared one look before they heard someone harrumph from behind them. Beverly turned around and snickered at Richie's eager appearance. He was gawking at Agata, yearning to reunite with her as well. And as soon as Beverly stepped aside, to stand next to a grinning Ben, Richie and Agata walked towards each other and closed the distance between them in a tight embrace.

Agata buried her head under the crook of Richie's neck as if it came naturally to her while she felt his long arms circle around her frame, one hand rested against her back and the other cradled the back of her head gently. She closed her eyes, feeling his heartbeat, and it was if she was thirteen years old again, slow dancing with Richie in the Winter Formal. Another good memory that she welcomed.

"Agata... my Aggie," he wistfully murmured, making her heart leap with a familiar sense of joy.

"I forgot you were the one that called me Aggie..." she chuckled mirthfully, looking up at him as he gazed down at her with fondness, "Hi Richie I missed you so much," she said as she leaned further into the man.

Now she understood why she had followed the comedian for years, even when she didn't like his material sometimes there was something about Richie Tozier that pulled her towards him. He was one of her best friends, her first crush, her first kiss, and her first boyfriend.

And Agata couldn't ignore the way her cheeks warmed as Richie continued staring beadily at her, with that look that would give her butterflies inside her stomach when she was a teenager.

Ben cleared his throat, and when Agata and Richie's gazing was broken the two saw Ben smiling amusedly and Beverly smirking knowingly in their way.

Richie, who looked embarrassed, quickly began sputtering the first nonsense he could come up with, "What the fuck are you two looking at? Never seen a cliché rom-com movie? This is the moment where two childhood friends reunite and—"

"Beep beep, Richie," Agata softly chastised before addressing everyone, "Let's go inside, the rest of them are probably waiting for us."

* * *

"This meeting of the Losers Club has officially begun!"

Agata was giving Richie a look, the reason for it was because he had just hit the Chau gong without warning anyone, and the sound came right from behind her so the psychologist's shoulder jumped a little bit from being startled by the loud sound.

But she decided to focus on what was more meaningful, which was the other three men standing on the other side of the round table that Mike had reserved for tonight.

Agata looked at the man himself, and to her surprise, Mike was already staring at her with a zealous expression. She beamed at him before looking at the shorter man, with striking blue eyes.

He was unmistakably Bill Denbrough, who eyed the newcomers with a welcoming smile, the same smile he gave to her on that pavement twenty-seven years ago. It was a powerful smile, and it made you feel embraced right away.

Strangely enough, when she looked at the man with the red, unzipped hoodie and the lime polo, Agata felt a certain familiarity with him. Then, it suddenly struck her—she has met Eddie before!

"Look at _these _guys!" Eddie chuckled with a sheepish smile. But what followed, was an awkward silence between everyone.

Agata had to lightly hit Richie in the arm before Ben could notice he was gesturing towards Ben to explain silently to the rest of the group that he wasn't the chubby boy he used to be. Richie merely chuckled at her, proving that he was only joking in a good-naturedly manner.

Then, she felt someone approach her from her peripheral vision and before she could even exhale, a pair of arms engulfed her into a hug.

"Agata! You came! I knew you would!" Mike laughed, his voice filled with relief.

"Mike! Wow, it's so good to see you!" Agata said at once, hugging him as well.

The librarian broke the hug and gave her a longing smile before he stepped back to allow Agata to greet the other two men. Bill was quick to also hug Agata as well, the two felt each other pour their friendliness over it and Agata felt that if Bill would act as the leader of the group she would still follow him, after all these years at least something hasn't changed.

When it was Eddie's turn, he just stood in front of her with an awkward smile—which made Agata laugh.

"You! Eddie, please tell me you remember me!" she told him, placing her hands on his arms to shake him a little.

That confused him, "What?"

"Last year? We got both into a car crash?" she tried to remind as the rest of the Losers greeted each other around them.

Eddie's eyes widened with realization, "Holy shit! That's right, you crashed your car into mine and–oh my GOD!" he exclaimed even louder while speaking fast.

Agata wasn't expecting him pulling her into a hug as well, but as soon as they embraced each other, it felt right. The man had become a non-hugger over the years but everyone saw no hesitation as they kept each other close, and Eddie inwardly remembered that Agata has always been one of the exceptions of the people that he allows to touch him.

_"AGATA DON'T LEAVE!"_

_His scream had echoed through the alley, only for them to listen. And Agata turned around to give him a shocked look—he was crying, tears still falling from the corner of his eyes as he looked at her desperately._

_"Please don't leave. Stay. Please" Eddie begged as he tightened his hold on her wrist._

_Agata dropped the plastic bag that contained her groceries and instantly pulled Eddie into a hug, carefully minding his cast as she did. Immediately, he wrapped his good arm around her torso and hid his face on her collarbone—sobbing a little with relief._

_She's had enough._

_She felt so terrible for making Eddie cry. Agata felt so guilty when she realized what she had tried to do! He was her friend, one of her best. They were both Losers—she shouldn't allow anyone to stay in the middle of them, even if it was Eddie's horrible mother._

_"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry!" she cried, "That was stupid, I'm not leaving, I swear!" Agata assured him quickly before pressing her lips into his cheek for a platonic kiss._

_Eddie managed to smile and leaned into her again, relieved to finally be able to talk with one of the people that actually loved him._

"I can't believe I forgot about you," Eddie said, annoyed with himself as his eyes softened. Agata smiled wistfully at him, she couldn't help it. Eddie still had those big, brown puppy eyes that made her want to hug him even closer.

"We all did," Mike spoke up, interrupting the greetings and what Agata was about to tell Eddie.

Everyone shifted to look at the man that has called them all back to Derry. Mike Hanlon looked so tired, but Agata could see the authenticity within him of being comforted to see them all again.

Afterwards, the seven adults sat on the round table and waited for their food to arrive after thinking about what they wanted to eat. Agata ordered honey sesame chicken, her favorite Chinese dish.

She was sitting between Beverly and Richie, and when the food arrived with the drinks Agata couldn't help but steal a glimpse from the empty seat that belonged to Stan Uris. Someone that she was eager to see again as well—so she was growing rather concerned about his tardiness. As a teen, Stan was never late for anything, she could remember that now.

Her worries were forgotten when they decided to make a toast to begin their reunion dinner, and when Agata saw Richie do a blowjob shot out of his small glass she perked her eyebrow interestingly when the man in question looked at Eddie with a goofy grin.

"So wait, Eddie, you got married?" Richie asked with a skeptical voice laced with mockery.

Eddie was instantly defensive, squinting his eyes warily at the other, "Yeah, why's that so fucking funny, dickwad?"

"What, to like a _woman_?" Richie sassed, and Agata didn't fail to notice the hidden expression behind the quip—but she didn't dwell on it, after all, she wasn't here to be their psychologist, she was here as a friend.

"Fuck you, bro," Eddie snarked as he gestured his chopsticks towards him.

Richie laughed at the remark, "Fuck _you_!" he shouted gleefully.

"All right, what about you Trashmouth? You married?" Bill quickly asked before things could escalate, everyone had a beaming expression when they looked at Richie for his answer.

But Agata concealed anxiousness behind a curious simper, she didn't know how to feel if Richie announced he was indeed married. It was ridiculous, they just reunited after being twenty-six years apart and she had no right to be jealous if Richie was married or in a romantic relationship with someone—but she couldn't help to wish for the man to be single. Which was embarrassing for her, because she was slowly realizing that perhaps her affection towards Richie hasn't dimmed down, even after forgetting about him.

"There's no way Richie's married!" Beverly spoke up at once, shaking her head doubtingly as everyone, except for Agata and Eddie, debated about it amicably.

"No, I got married!" Richie told the redhead solemnly, stealing a glance towards Agata as he observed her reaction.

Agata gave him a feigned surprised look, feeling her heart hammer as she waited for the punchline. It was easy for her to recognize Richie's face when he was about to drop a joke—and she was glad that after all this time she could see through it.

"Richie, I don't believe it," Beverly said at once, taking a bite from her food.

"Why not? It's possible," Agata stated, grinning at the redhead while she sipped from her drink.

"When?" Eddie inquired curiously before taking a sip from his beer, getting Richie's attention as the man turned to him.

"Did you not hear this?" Richie pressed, still using a serious look.

"No," Eddie stated, giving the man an odd look. Agata noticed that Eddie was nervously gripping on his cup, she found that as a sign of neuroticism and impatience. Eddie was genuinely shocked at Richie's answer, and she couldn't hide her smirk about it.

"Oh, you didn't know I got married?" Richie pressed, surprised.

"No!" Eddie reasserted.

"Yeah, no, me and your mom are very, _very_ happy right now," Richie finally said, causing the table to laugh instantly, except for Eddie of course.

Bill chocked on his drink, "Fucking hell!" he chortled as he reached for a napkin to clean himself up.

Agata could hear everyone laugh but when she looked at Eddie's annoyed expression she giggled even more.

"He totally fell for it!" Bill laughed.

Eddie pursed his lips, scowling deeply while slightly shaking his head before glaring to Richie, "Fuck you."

"She's very sweet. Sometimes she'll put her arm around me, and she'll whisper to me, she'll go" Agata giggled when Richie wrapped an arm around her shoulder to gaze lovingly into her eyes while mimicking _Jabba the Hut_ perfectly—it was funny to everyone in the table, excluding for Eddie, who was seething.

However, Richie couldn't finish his impression because he began laughing at Agata's giggling face. Her cheeks were red, from either the alcohol or her emotions, and she looked too adorable to not chuckle along with.

"Oh, I get it, my mom's a great big fat person!" Eddie suddenly burst, pretending that he was laughing along as he threw his head back, "Hilarious! _Hysterical!_" he yelled sarcastically before he downed the rest of his drink angrily.

Agata winced with a grin, "Okay, okay..." she patted Richie's arm, "Let's all calm down now."

Richie gave her a nod, wordlessly promising her he'd behave. Agata's hand lingered on his muscle, and he couldn't help to stare.

"Yeah, let's" Beverly stared at Agata with interest, "What about you, Agata? I'm sure you got married! And you must have kids, you always wanted them, right?"

Agata inwardly cringed as Beverly unintentionally brought up a sensitive subject, "Uh well" she looked around the table, trying to keep her breathing steady as everyone gave the brunette her their attention. Mike leaned in whilst Richie lost his smile and drank the rest of his beer, "I'm not married, but I can't say it almost didn't happen—the guy, he uh, cheated on me with his intern, his twenty-year-old intern."

The adults around the table showed their disgusted expressions.

"Pig," Beverly muttered.

Ben shook his head with a sour look whilst Bill sighed, saddened that Agata had to go through that.

"Asshole, what a fucking dipshit," Eddie chided, scowling deeply.

Richie grunted, wordlessly agreeing. He was glowering at his beer, thinking that the guy that was almost lucky enough to marry Agata fucked up grandly for taking her for granted.

"It was six years ago, I got over it," Agata pointed out casually, but still appreciating their comforting opinions, "Anyways, I haven't been really trying to find someone because I was in the process to adopt this little boy all year and I did it! I'm a mom, he's coming home next week!" she announced giddily, grinning when they all looked at her with pleasant shock.

"Holy shit!" Bill chocked, "Congrats!" he exclaimed heartily.

"Congratulations!" Ben beamed, wanting to stand up to give the woman a bear hug.

"Agata! Oh my God, I'm so happy for you!" Beverly cried, pulling Agata into a side hug with tears in her eyes, "You're a mommy!"

Mike smiled warmly at the brunette, "You're going to be a good mom," he told her earnestly. But Agata noticed something off in his eyes, he was refraining himself from saying something else. Which was a bit odd, but not rare. Agata knew Mike was keeping a piece of vital information from the Losers, she wasn't stupid.

But Agata wasn't going to let it ruin the moment, so she simply smiled warmly in his direction and nodded thankfully.

Eddie gestured his beer towards her, "Y-Yeah! The best," he coughed, turning to Agata with a wide smile, "I'm happy for you, Agata."

"Thanks, guys" Agata sighed, clearing away a tear before it could even form completely.

"So what's the kid's name?" Richie suddenly asked. He was the only one that had remained quiet after the announcement, but he leaned over the table and looked at Agata with a soft look in his eyes.

She smiled at him, "His name is Ollie," she said with a gentle tone, remembering her son's soulful eyes, "He's two years old, and he's the sweetest boy even after a rough start in life."

"I better see some photos in the future!" Beverly gushed.

"I'll show them after dinner," Agata promised her.

The conversation then shifted into various topics, and Agata found herself surprised at how comfortable she was around these estranged friends that she hasn't laid her eyes on for almost thirty years. The quips, jokes, friendly banter—it all came naturally between the seven adults. And as she observed them, Agata noticed that they felt the same way she did. They all looked loose, the awkwardness prior was forgotten and it felt as if they were never separated from each other.

"Yeah, it's a nice watch," Richie complimented Eddie, who smiled at him appreciatively, "Wait, let's talk about the elephant _not_ in the room. Ben," he shouted, looking at the mentioned man with an awed expression, "What the fuck, man?"

Ben avoided everyone's eyes, "Okay, okay. Obviously, I lost a few pounds."

"I think you lost more than a few, Ben," Agata chuckled, enjoying seeing Ben blush when everyone's attention was on him. He deserved the praise.

"Lost a few pounds?!" Richie repeated, incredulously.

"Yeah, no shit you lost a few pounds.," Eddie promptly stated as he spoke along with Richie.

"You're, like... You're hot!" the comedian praised him, "You're like every Brazilian soccer player wrapped into one person. Gorgeous."

"That's true," Eddie acknowledged as he checked him out from toe to head, making Ben snort bashfully as he sipped from his beer.

Agata decided to speak up as well, "Yeah, Ben. If I didn't know you, I would want to know you," she suggested with a flirtatious smile.

Bill chortled heartily at her comment while Richie snickered.

"Leave him alone. You're embarrassing him!" Beverly scolded lightly, pretending that she too hadn't check Ben out and agreed with all the compliments being thrown his way.

"Okay, okay! All right! I get it, I changed! Please, come on," Ben pleaded, quickly thinking in a way to shift the attention from him, "Is Stanley coming, or what?" he questioned the group, motioning to the empty seat between Richie and Eddie, "Someone save me!"

The table grew silent after that, everyone was wondering about the man himself all of a sudden.

"Stan..." Agata breathed, smiling airily, "Of course he'll come."

"Stan..." Eddie repeated in awe as he seemed to have remembered the man entirely.

They all looked at the empty chair with sober expressions.

"Stan..." Richie began with a disoriented tone as he looked at Bill for help.

"Stan Uris Stan Urine!" both men established, speaking at the same time.

Agata rolled her eyes, "I hated when you two called him that, it wasn't funny then and it's not funny now," she admonished before sipping on her beer.

Mike chuckled at that.

"I'm so sorry dear Aggie, I'll tell Stanley how much you defended him! If he comes, but there's no way that's gonna happen. He's a fucking pussy, he's not gonna show!" Richie stated cheekily as he rubbed his hands together, giving her a taunting smirk.

Agata hated how stupidly attractive he looked right now. And it didn't help when she couldn't keep her eyes away from his long arms and bulky shoulders. It seems that Beverly had been correct all those years ago, he did grow into his looks.

She must've been gawking too long because when she came to her senses she found Richie's beadily gaze still pining her—the psychologist smiled timidly and looked away to hastily take a sip from her beer, attempting to ignore the heat overcoming her cheeks.

"Why would Stanley save you, anyway? Was I not the one who basically performed surgery on you after Bowes cut you up?!" Eddie beamed as he playfully slapped Ben's arm, his face lit up even more as he revived that day. It was when Ben joined the Losers Club.

Agata gave the two a fond look, Ben and Eddie always got along well.

"Yes!" Ben told him, grinning widely as he remembered as well.

"Holy shit—that's right!" Eddie proclaimed confidently.

"Please tell me you ended up becoming a doctor, Eds," Beverly said hopefully, recalling how attentive and careful Eddie had been with Ben when he looked after the gash.

"No, I ended up becoming a risks analyst," he informed her as everyone paid attention to their conversation.

Agata had to bite her lower lip to refrain a chuckle to slip out. It seems that his neurotic lifestyle had grown up along with him, landing Eddie in a job that allowed him to have control over something that involved keeping people safe.

"Oh, that sounds really interesting! What does that entail?" Richie inquired, seeming genuinely engrossed in the answer as he sat back with his arms crossed.

Ben was already smiling amusedly as he sipped from his beer and Agata shared an exasperated look with him because they both knew what was about to happen—Richie seemed to be focused on annoying Eddie a lot tonight. It was like twenty-seven years haven't passed.

Eddie, who became mildly sheepish under Richie's question, circled his finger around his glass as he answered, "Yeah, so, I work for a big insurance firm and—"

As soon as he began talking, Richie dropped his head back with his eyes closed and let out a fake snore, feigning sleep induced by boredom.

And when everyone, albeit Eddie, started to laugh merrily, Richie stopped his theatrics and lifted his head again, presenting Eddie a challenging simper.

Eddie squinted his eyes, scowling at the man, "Fuck you, dude. Fuck. You," he deadpanned, his voice laced with annoyance.

"Was this job invented before fun?" Richie taunted.

Bill snorted loudly, hiding his face in his shoulder to hide it while everyone watched the two bicker with entertainment.

"Oh, that's so _not_ funny!" Eddie barked.

"It _is_ funny!" Richie retorted before laughing loudly, bumping his shoulder against Agata's, enticing her to chuckle as well.

"Stop it!" she tried to reprimand, but every time Richie would laugh she couldn't help to follow after.

Eddie, who heard laughter next to him, quickly turned his head towards Ben and caught him mid snorting, which made the neurotic explode.

"What the fuck are _you_ laughing at?!" he yelled, making Ben grin even more.

"What about you, Agata?" Bill suddenly asked her.

Agata smiled as she began talking, "I became a child and adolescent psychologist! I have my own clinic in New York and it's going well."

"Holy shit, you're a therapist? Get away from me!" Richie hissed, forming a cross with his fingers in her way.

The brunette hissed back, "I work with kids, dummy!"

Eddie arched an eyebrow at her, "I think Richie's childish dumbass still fits your range, Dr. R," he deadpanned, winking her way.

At that, everyone laughed but Agata was the loudest. Richie gave Eddie a head shake, planning his revenge.

"Why, thank you, Eddie! A lot has changed. For example, I found my birth dad," Agata began, smiling fondly, "Then my mom re-married, and my brother was born in ninety-six."

"You have a brother?!" Richie exclaimed.

"Aw, Agata I'm so happy Alexandra re-married! I remember her being the only adult in my life that actually treated me well," Beverly told her, placing her hand on top of Agata's to squeeze is.

"Thanks—oh, by the way!" Agata gasped, suddenly remembering something as she turned towards Richie, "My brother, his name is Nick, he's a big fan of yours!"

Richie lost his genuine smile, showing a forced, closed-lip one now, "Oh, really?"

Agata didn't ignore his reaction.

"Poor kid, your brother has a bad taste, Agata," Eddie piped in, shaking his head with a disappointed expression.

Agata shushed him before continuing, "Nick is actually internet famous, believe it or not. He's on this app called 'Vine', I think? And you're one of his main inspirations!"

Richie gave her a lopsided smile, "I've heard of that app, I secretly watch compilations of it. Maybe I've seen him before."

"He goes by 'NickBisaster' and he created that Vine everyone keeps quoting, uhh, 'I thought Europe was a country', or something like that."

Richie's eyes widened with recognition, "Shut the fuck up, that's your brother? That kid is one of my favorite Viners—WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE."

While Richie tried to regain his breathing after being hit with another memory, Bill snapped his fingers, "Oh shit, wait! I know your brother too, someone tagged me in one of his tweets because apparently, I could relate to it?"

Agata gave him a proud look, "My brother has a lot of fans!"

"You were in one of his Vines! I remember looping that one because I thought I recognized you and I almost lost my mind trying to remember where I knew you from!" Richie exclaimed, pointing at her, "YOU! YOU ALSO TWEETED ME THIS MORNING!" he accused, "And you never replied!" he added, feigning hurt.

"Wait, what?" Beverly asked as a curious smile spread on her lips, "You two tweet each other?"

Agata quickly replied before Richie, "I merely replied to his tweet, it's not my fault he responded back. And by the way," she pretended to be upset, "Thanks to you, I had to log out of my account because of the notification swarm I was receiving nonstop, Mr. Famous Guy!"

Richie shrugged, unapologetic, "I regret nothing," he cockily said.

"After dinner, I need to see this. I can't believe how some of us were so close and didn't manage to use our fucking brains to remember each other—I mean, fuck! Agata and I were in a car accident and talked! Face to face!" Eddie exclaimed in his fast-talking kind of way. It was sweet how genuinely upset he sounded.

"I forgot about you the next day," Agata nodded with a sad look.

Richie, who had grabbed his phone from his pocket and was now in the process of secretly following Agata on twitter, scared he'd forget about her the minute he left Derry, spoke up, "We were almost thirty years apart, it's normal. I mean, before you looked like a neurotic pipsqueak," he looked from his phone to give Eddie a taunting smirk, "Nevermind. You haven't changed at all, Eds."

"Don't call me Eds, dipshit!" Eddie shot back immediately, his cheeks visibly reddening.

Richie pocketed his phone and reached to squeeze Eddie's cheek, but the analyst swatted it away as if he had been expecting it.

Beverly, who shared a knowing look with Agata, quickly brought everyone's attention to herself as she motioned her beer bottle around, "I propose a toast, to the Losers!" she said more soberly, bringing the laughter down as everyone raised their glasses when she did, "By social media or face to face, we'll always be together from now on!"

Everyone clinked their drinks and gulped down the alcohol within it. And Agata, feeling a little looser from the alcohol she had ingested, turned towards Richie while grabbing a piece of her food between her chopsticks. She tapped him on his shoulder to get his attention and beckon him to come close—as if they were about to kiss—as she leaned upwards to meet him halfway. Everyone in the table watched in surprise as the two didn't seem to hesitate on his sudden kiss but then, smirking, Agata backed away and shoved a piece of her chicken inside Richie's mouth—making everyone laugh and protest at the same time.

Richie was so taken back that the chicken fell from his mouth when he pulled back, he tried to catch it but it fell on the floor, making Agata lean against Beverly to laugh at his antics.

Then, the mood was constant uplifting. Between the lively chattering between the adults and minutes later, Eddie was drunk enough to challenge Richie in an arm wrestling game. Stan's chair had been pulled aside for the two have enough space for it, and even though everyone cheered when they started the game, Agata couldn't help to think about something Eddie said that everyone either overlooked or didn't hear.

"Let's take our shirts off and kiss!"

Richie won, and Agata wasn't surprised. She observed the wrestling and noticed how smaller Eddie's hand was in contrast to Richie's. The size difference between the two men was so significant that it ended up becoming adorable in Agata's view.

Feeling the warmth from the buzzing alcohol inside her blood and from hearing the laughter of the friends she didn't remember until yesterday left the brunette in a state of peace and happiness. She watched everyone chatter around the table and closed her eyes, not seeing that Mike had kept his eyes on her face even when he talked with Ben.

She didn't know it yet, but her mood would drastically change and this would be the last time since the reunion the Losers would feel safe in Derry.


	15. Unfortunate Cookies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for 2 months, life got complicated, but I still want to finish this story. Especially when I'm so near the end.
> 
> I hope everyone is being safe during this pandemic!
> 
> TW: Mentions of miscarriage.

Agata has never felt more comfortable around strangers than she was feeling right now.

Between the laughing, eating delicious food, having casual conversations, and catch up with their lives, Agata felt as if she never left. That she never stopped being friends with all of them. Or loving them.

When the waitress brought a bowl of fortune cookies and placed it in the middle of the table with a few small plates, the conversations parted ways with each Loser talking to certain people only.

Agata was paying attention to a chat between Richie, Eddie, and Mike.

It was easy, falling back into the way they were. And like she had then, Agata found herself drawn to Richie, to his easy charm and handsome face, to the way he made her feel like she was someone worth knowing. She had missed that, even before she knew she was missing anything. When they fell into a conversation for the first time in twenty-seven years, it was comfortable. No, it was comforting.

There was even the familiar longing in Ben's eyes as he stared at Beverly, who was chatting animatedly with Bill.

"I don't want one!" Eddie told Richie after the comedian offered him a fortune cookie.

"Wait you're not—you don't wanna eat it for health reasons?"

"Those are fucking bad for you! No, I don't wanna get type two dyb—type two diabetes. I don't!" Eddie insisted, stumbling a little over his words because of the alcohol.

"It's in your head," Richie retorted, genuinely trying to convince him.

"No, it's not in my head!"

"It's in your head!" the other asserted, stubbornly crossing his arms.

"Actually," Agata said, "It is said that being afraid can increase the risk of something bad actually happening. I—"

Eddie's eyes widened, "No! Please, don't! Sorry Aggie, but I really don't want a therapist's view on this," Agata couldn't help but to snort at how panicked he sounded.

"Listen to the Doctor, Eds," Richie teased.

"I just don't wanna spend the rest of my life around needles," the hypochondriac replied quickly.

"I think you read shit on the internet and it makes you nervous," Richie casually said, nodding at Agata, "I'm right, aren't I?"

Agata simply shrugged, deciding to respect Eddie's decision, "I'm here as a friend, not as a therapist."

"Thanks, Aggie," he told her appreciatively, "And it's not in my head!" Eddie snapped at Richie, "If I had one of those—because I'm middle-aged, I will shit my pants immediately."

Agata was ready to change the subject when Ben suddenly spoke up, making everyone look at him.

"I mean it's weird, right? Now that we're all here everything's just comes back faster and faster. I mean, all of it."

Agata sighed, sharing a look with a sullen Mike.

"Y-Yeah, know you, when Mike called I threw up," Richie suddenly admitted with a nervous smile, "Isn't it weird? Like, I got nervous. I got, like, sick and I threw up," he chuckled under everyone's eyes but Agata gave him a concerned look, seeing the panic behind his gaze, "I feel fine now. I feel very relieved to be here with you guys," he looked around and noticed the look the group was giving him, prompting him to stop and become even more anxious, "Why is everybody looking at me like this?" he asked, smiling forcefully.

"When Mike called me I crashed my car," Eddie shared, earning him a shocked look from his friends.

"Oh my God," the therapist hurriedly examined his face for any injuries, "Were you okay?"

Eddie nodded, smiling shyly at her concern, "It wasn't that serious."

"Seriously?" Bill pressed with a concerned tone in his voice. Agata almost wanted to smile at the protective undertone the writer carried along.

He was still their leader, deep down. Back when they were kids, Agata noticed that Bill would treat Eddie as his little brother even though the two were just months apart. Eddie idolized Bill a lot during their childhood, and Agata did as well. She thought Bill was the type of person who you could go for any advice, and that was a trait that a good leader had.

Of course that now as a therapist, Agata could see some hero complex that Bill might've had. Or still has, she still hasn't focused on that. Nor she wanted to—but sometimes it was inevitable for her to sense these things with the years of school and studying she had.

Eddie nodded at Bill, "Yeah."

Feeling as if it would make Eddie and Richie feel relieved, Agata decided to share about her moment after Mike's call, "I fainted. My assistant found me unconscious on my desk chair," she admitted, receiving surprised gazes from everyone on the table.

"Jesus fuck," Richie spluttered, widening his eyes with shock, "You _fainted_?!" he leaned closer to her, and Agata found herself enjoying his fussing over her well-being. It made her feel as if she was thirteen years old again, "Were you fine? Did you hit your head?"

"No, I was fine!" she quickly assured him, and the table, "I fainted sitting down so" she smiled at Eddie's concerned expression as his big, brown eyes stared at her, attentive to her story, "I'm fine!" she repeated, chuckling a little to relax her old friends, "The call just came out of nowhere and I was so surprised," that wasn't exactly the word Agata wanted to use, but she didn't want to make the mood even heavier.

"Yeah, I hear you. I mean, my heart was literally pounding in my chest," Ben told everyone with a trembling voice.

"I thought it was only me," Beverly said shakily, staring at Ben with a frail look. Agata wanted to hold her hand reassuringly, and she found herself, unconsciously, doing it so—it just came so naturally that the two women didn't even blink during it.

"It was like pure f-f-f-fe-fe—" Bill struggled to say it, and Agata held her breath in before Mike spoke up. She also keenly noticed that Bill's stutter was beginning to return.

"Fear," the librarian stated, frowning deeply, "It's fear, what you felt," this time, Mike was looking deeply into Bill's blue eyes, emphasizing his words seriously so he could understand.

"Why do we all f-f-feel that way, Mike?" the writer asked with a haunted look at how grave Mike looked at the moment, "You know remember something we don't, don't you, Mikey?"

Agata leaned in, feeling Beverly's hand tighten as she wordlessly seemed for comfort. She squeezed their hands together as she felt Richie shift closer to her.

"Something happens to you when you leave this town," Mike began explaining, "The farther away the hazier it all gets, but me—I never left," he was eyeing everyone at the table now, landing his eyes on Agata and lingering before returning his gaze towards Bill, "So yeah, I remember. I remember all of it."

The table was quiet for a moment, taking in Mike's words as if they were swallowing a hard pill. Agata felt Beverly's hand slip out of her hold as the redhead grasped the table cloth with an anxious expression before whispering with a fearful voice.

"Pennywise."

They all stared at Beverly with shock as each one began to rightfully panic.

And Agata, abruptly, hears her ears ringing and became slightly dizzy. She panicked, afraid of losing her conscious again while grabbing her cup of water to gulp it all down as if it would help her. But no water could take away the new memories crashing through her mental wall—invading her mind violently and giving her a sudden headache.

"The dancing clown" Agata added bitterly, remembering the damn thing and its wide, terrifying grin that bared sharp fangs.

Eddie looked down at his plate with his eyebrows furrowed deeply, "Oh, the fucking clown" he said feebly as his hands began to quiver. The sewers, the nasty gray water by his knees, the screaming, and the leper.

It all came back at once, and Eddie felt so overcome that he began breathing irregularly.

"Deep breaths, Eddie," Agata couldn't help saying, gently talking to him through what seemed the start of a panic attack.

He shut his eyes tightly and inhaled deeply through his nostrils before exhaling through his mouth, following her helpful order. But when he shook his head after opening his eyes, he gave off a defeated look and began searching for the inhaler that he didn't own, through his jacket.

Ben leaned back into his chair as if he had been punched in the face with a petrified look, "Shit," he lowly said as a short memory of him running away from something bright through the halls of a school as the chubby boy he had been flooded his head.

Bill just covered his face with his hands, trying to push away memories of his dead little brother—of shooting a fake Georgie in the head with Mike's nail gun. Of seeing Beverly float. He just wanted to scream right now, but for the sake of his friends, he remained calm and collected.

Beverly teared up, feeling helpless when she reminisced being inside the Deadlights. Seeing her friends die in brutal ways—and the fact that she now knew who they were made her feel nauseous—just as her father made her feel every time he touched her. She wanted to reach for Agata's hand again, but Beverly couldn't move from her petrified state—so she just placed them on her lap, trying to even her breathing properly.

Richie remained still, staring wide-eyed at Mike and waiting for the 'sike! I got you! The next round is on me!'. But that never came, Mike was still solemn and the cold water from the 'Life is a bitch' bucket had fallen on him. All Richie could remember now was feeling confused—lost as a kid, lost with his emotions and feelings towards two of his friends. That awful day before the rock fight where Bowers made him run away from the arcade, like a little bitch. That day where he carved their initials on the Kissing Bridge. The kiss he shared with Agata just before school began.

"Well, fuck," the comedian growled out before donning the rest of his alcoholic drink down his throat, welcoming the burning sensation and lacing between Eddie and Agata, "Fuck, fuck, fuck..." he muttered between his breathing, starting to feel queasy.

Agata looked at Richie and saw how upset he looked, she saw him try to reach for the bottle to refill his glass but she stopped him, seizing his hand midair to bring it back down onto the table. When he looked at her, confusedly, Agata gave him a scolding look and squeezed his hand—she did not want him to drown his concerns on alcohol, it would not help fix the situation.

Richie seemed to have caught her meaningful gaze, so he fought the urge to roll his eyes and slackened into his chair, feeling his hand tingling from being touched by Agata.

"Mike, you said you want our help with something, what was that?" Bill suddenly asked his friend, his tone serious and sans stuttering. He was nervously looking at him, scared of Mike's answer even know Bill was beginning to realize why were they all called back.

Mike, feeling guilty that the dinner lost his cheerfulness and became heavily tense, spoke up grimly, "There's an echo here in Derry, it bounces back every twenty-seven years—"

Eddie, who didn't want to hear him talk and remember, even more, interrupted Mike with a rapid and anxious tone, "What are you talking about?"

"Hold on, listen—listen!" Mike tried, looking at Eddie pleadingly.

"No, I don't wanna—" the risk analyst shook his head, giving him a panicked look.

"We-We thought we stopped IT back then, we thought IT was done but—"

Agata tried to even her breathing as she remembered more and more about her past. She watched, with concerned eyes, as Mike reached for something on his lap and settle in on the table, in front of everyone. It seemed as if it was a journal, and Agata feared what was written inside as they watched the librarian flip through the pages until he found the correct one.

"Mike..." Richie warned, looking absolutely baffled as Beverly scoffed with a confused look.

But he ignored them, continued speaking, "A week ago, a man named Adrian Mellon—slaughtered."

"Mikey..." Agata chided softly. She didn't know about what happened with this Adrian man and even though she did feel bad for the man, she didn't want to hear anything of it right now. Agata was afraid that Mike was beginning to make sense—that the clown was back. She didn't want to go through that again, facing IT. She barely and luckily made it out alive twenty-seven years ago. But now she had a lot to lose—sure, if Mike had called five years ago, she would come here and risk her life.

But she had a son now. Waiting for her, she needed him as much as he needed her. She could not throw that away for a small town, especially when Derry did nothing but treat her like shit.

"A girl, Lisa Albrecht—"

"Mike!" Richie tried again, not wanting to hear about kids dying.

"—the other night, went missing! There already been others, and there will be more!" Mike continued, trying to raise his voice over the objections around the table.

"I don't wanna hear it!" Eddie stated with a scared expression.

"Mike," Agata sighed shakily, "Maybe it's better if you stop."

"No, Agata, listen!" Mike half-yelled as he poked his journal.

"Calm down!" Ben told Bill when the author was trying to stop Mike from talking.

Agata rested her elbows on the table and held her head between her hands for support, she stared at her plate and thought how much of a disaster this dinner was becoming. She tried to shun out the constant yelling and pleas but it was in vain, she knew that this was only going to end if they all shut up and listened to what Mike had to say, once and for all.

"Okay, guys, wait—let's all calm down and give Mike a chance!" she suddenly exclaimed, looking up to give her friends a stern expression, "Everyone speaking at the same time won't work, it will only increase the panic and makes us all anxious!"

"Let's just get him another drink," Bill suggested quickly, wanting the chaos to end and return to the good vibe they were all having.

"No, Agata is right! Just let him explain—let him explain..." Ben stated as he placed a comforting hand on Mike's shoulder.

The librarian gave him and Agata a thankful nod before continuing, speaking more calmly now that everyone went silent, "That echo? We might have changed it, just like IT changed us. But we didn't stop IT—because IT just bounced back," Mike was giving them a serious look, and Agata avoided his eyes when his own landed on hers, "We made an oath."

_"Swear it, s-swear if IT isn't dead, if IT ever comes back—well come back, too."_

Agata closed her eyes, inwardly reliving that day as she heard Mike's explanation.

"All right? That's why I brought you back, that's why you're here. To finish IT, for good," he ended as Agata reopened her eyes to see the ominous silence within his friends.

She shook her head and reached for her cup of water, taking in a quick sip and pretending it was wine. She promised herself to never touch alcohol again now that she was a mother, and damn it, even if she was in this terrible situation Agata was going to go through her personal promise.

"Well, that shit got dark fast," Richie commented wryly, "Thanks Mike."

The tension was broken by the sound of Eddie cracking his fortune cookie open, he stared at the small paper that is supposed to give you a whimsical sentence with a disappointed frown, "My fortune cookie just says 'Could'."

That prompted everyone else to open their cookies as well—because anything was better than the tense silence Mike had brought upon everyone. Agata opened hers, tilting her head confusedly when she read it.

"Mine says 'coward'? What the hell" the brunette tossed the paper on her plate and peeked at Richie's, "What does yours say?"

He was also scowling at his small paper, "They don't know how to do fortune cookies here. Mine just says 'Guess'," he replied, showing it to her.

Bill looked pensive over his own cookie paper before addressing Richie, "You wanna throw that over here?" he stood from his chair and began assembling each small papers that came from inside his friend's fortune cookies.

Mike slowly read his and handed it to Bill almost hesitantly, he carried a somber expression as he did.

"What do you got, Mikey?" Bill asked gently as he grabbed it from the librarian's hand.

As Bill settled some cups away, he began placing the tiny papers for everyone to see. He huffed at Mike's words, paling and realizing that a sentence could be formed.

**'Guess', 'Cut', 'Cut', 'Could', 'Coward'.**

Immediately, everyone began standing up as well as Bill began assembling the words to build a sentence.

"Wait, what?!" Eddie huffed under his breath as he stared worryingly.

"Bill? What are you doing?" Agata asked, carrying a fearful edge behind her voice.

"This is what I'm talking about," Mike sighed.

"Guess. Coward. Cut. Not. Could. It?" Richie tried, reading the words Bill gathered out loud.

"No? Could. It. Guess. Not. Coward. Cut?" Agata cringed at her attempt.

"It's a message," the librarian warned them, pointing at the papers.

"No, 'Guess it could not cut?" Richie tried again.

Eddie scoffed at his friend, "Why would it guess it could not cut?" he asked, but he was ignored as everyone began talking over each other—trying to find the right answer.

Only Beverly remained ominously quiet.

"What about the coward part?!" Agata questioned them, panicking a little. Was that word even meant to fit in the sentence or was it simply targetted towards her?

"Cut what?" Ben questioned Richie and Eddie.

"Guess it could not coward cut!" Richie stated, thinking he was sure that was right only to follow with an unsure, "I don't know what that means!"

Ben surged forward, moving one of the papers, "It goes in front. There," he told Bill.

"It coward could not guess?" Eddie read loudly, "That doesn't make any fucking sense!" he wheezed, and Agata stepped to his side to place a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Everyone, calm down. Eddie—honey, breathe," she whispered gently as everyone continued trying to assemble the confusing message.

Eddie leaned into her touch, but his anxious eyes kept staring at the papers thoughtfully.

"It couldn't guess?" Bill wondered.

"Could it..."

"No! 'Could it not cut'!" Richie suddenly exclaimed, moving the papers himself.

"When it says 'it', is it talking about IT?" Eddie asked, "Is that what it means?!"

"Oh, God," Agata whispered, "He has a point, Bill."

"Yeah. All right," Bill murmured exasperatedly.

"Is 'IT' it?" Eddie continued, overlapping his voice with a continuous repetition as he began to panic even further.

"Where does this go?!"

"That's what I'm talking about," Mike repeated.

"What are you talking about?! I don't know what that means!" Richie argued loudly, and Agata turned towards him as he continued, "I don't know what IT fucking means! Did you fucked with the fortune cookies, Mike?!" he snapped at the librarian.

"No!" Mike quickly defended, "Listen—" but they didn't. They continued speaking, interrupting Mike again and the man dropped his shoulder defeatedly.

"Whoa! Let him speak, man!" Ben quickly gestured his hand towards Richie in a stopping manner, giving him a stern look.

"This is not me! This is what I-IT does!" Mike spoke up, staring at the small papers knowingly.

"I need my fucking inhaler!" Eddie suddenly screamed, "What is wrong with you, man?" he exclaimed, looking at Mike, "Why'd you call us?! This is so not funny!"

"This is not fucking funny!" Richie agreed.

"Calm down! Yelling isn't the answer!" she scolded everyone, slamming her hands on the table.

Richie gave her an incredulous look, "Excuse me for being scared of this shit!"

"We're all _fucking_ scared!" she retorted, raising her voice a little bit. He recoiled, sitting down again. Richie never enjoyed hearing Agata yell at him from genuine anger—last time he could recall that happening was when he read a page from her diary after sneaking into her room while she was taking a shower.

He learned his lesson that day.

Everyone stopped bickering at once, giving Agata a startled look. She never cursed—they only heard her say the f word once during their childhood, so whenever Agata cursed, they all know that shit got serious.

"If everybody could've calmed down, you would've noticed that Beverly has been quiet!"

With that, each head turned to look at the redhead. Beverly looked pale as she gripped tightly onto her small paper.

"Beverly? What do you have with you?" Agata asked carefully.

As her hands trembled from fear, Beverly slowly placed her paper underneath the line of the sentence that they were all trying to discover—and everyone paled immediately at what was written in it. Bill was quick to position the missing and last paper between the others one, finally gathering the correct order of them as creating the troublesome message IT transmitted.

**'Guess Coward Stanley Could Not Cut It'**

"Oh my God," Agata whispered, covering her mouth and taking a step back from the table, "What?" she felt her eyes watering, and the therapist did not know why. This could mean anything, literally. She didn't remember Stanley that much, but being back in Derry made her love him as much as she loved everyone circling this table—so if anything were to happen to her bird-loving friend, she would be devastated.

"Wh-Why does it say Stanley?!" Eddie demanded heatedly, "Someone else _fucking answer me_!"

Agata looked wistfully at him, but before she could tell him soothing words, the table moved by itself, giving off a loud 'thud' sound that startled every adult around it.

"Holy shit," Eddie whimpered as the bowl with the fortune cookies began to jiggle.

"Stay away from the table!" Agata advised everyone as she grabbed Richie's and Beverly's wrists and pulled them back with her.

One of the cookies leaped from the bowl into the table, and everyone watched as it cracked open by itself, revealing a slimy and ugly creature that gave a shrilly cry as soon as it was out. Agata cringed, stepping closer to Richie as the man placed a protective arm ahead of her.

"What the fuck is that, man?" he exclaimed, looking tired from the situation, "Oh, my God."

"Whoa, whoa!" Bill stepped away when the creature showed its form.

Agata almost gagged at the insect with wings with a baby head. She wanted to look away but it was nearly impossible, and of course, it began crawling her way, "Oh no, please..." the worst thing it could happen was for IT to use her miscarriage against her.

IT could do anything, but not that. Please, not that.

As everyone let out startled noises and began stepping even further away from the table, three more cookies jumped out of the bowl and began shaking, cracking open as well. Agata looked at each of her friends and gasped when she noticed Beverly hasn't moved from her seat, frowning deeply and ignoring the creature's baby cries, she paced quickly towards her friend and pulled her up from the chair, bringing her along to join her in a safe space but separating herself from Richie.

As one of the cookies opened in front of Richie, he muttered a 'shit' before yelling quickly when a slimy eyeball dragged itself off from the cookie towards him, "Hey! Hey! A fortune cookie's looking at me! Shit!"

Beverly let out a horrified yell as she clung onto Agata, who widened her eyes towards it, "It's literally an eyeball," she commented, quite aghast with the whole situation.

Nervously, they all watched as yet another cursed fortune cookie cracked itself open, spitting out a newborn baby bird that struggled to even stand up.

_'Stan loved birds'_, Agata couldn't help to think, debating if this apparition was some sort of connection.

"I-I don't wanna be here! I can't fucking do this!" Eddie cried, covering his face for protecting as a creature with forced its large bat-like wings out of another cookie, "I wanna go home! I don't wanna be here!" he kept shouting as Ben, who was standing behind him, wrapped his arms around him protectively, "I don't wanna be here! Holy shit—"

Eddie exclaimed because the bat-like creature began flapping its wing and flying around randomly, making the ones near it scream and step out of its way to avoid being touched.

"Oh, hey! Goddamn it!" Richie was still dealing with the eye creature, staring at him. He stepped away from it so fast that he crashed against the wall behind him, sending two lamps almost to the floor.

The flying creature began attacking Eddie and Ben, and the architect tried to defend his scared friend by trying to swat it away.

"Hey, Eddie!" Richie called out worriedly. He tried to make a move to go help Ben but he found himself petrified with fear—it was if something was keeping him apart from them all.

"Eddie! Ben! This way!" Agata called out before letting out a yelp when suddenly, and quite shockingly, the baby-screaming creature leaped out of the table towards her. It landed on her chest and it clung there, crawling around her torso and making her jump away from her friends, "GET IT OUT! IT'S ON ME, OH MY GOD GET IT OUT OF ME!" the therapist yelled hysterically.

"Oh my God! Aggie, wait—STOP MOVING SO I CAN GET IT!" Beverly screamed as she chased after her, patting her friend's torso to try to feel for it, but she couldn't find it anywhere, "Where–"

Agata let out a shrilly scream and began covering her ears when she began hearing a baby piercingly wail inside her head.

_'Mommy why did you let me die? Mommy, mommy! You let me die. YOU. LET. ME. DIE. WHY? WHY? WHY? MOMMY!'_

"Help! Please!" Agata sobbed as she closed her eyes, not wanting to see anything else but her apartment in New York. It was a mistake to come—she should've followed her instincts and stay there, with her son, and have a happier life. Now she was probably going to die. Ollie was never going to forgive her for this.

Nor would herself.

"AGGIE! STOP MOVING!" a male voice demanded urgently as she felt strong, big hands hold her still by her shoulders, "Listen to me, there's nothing on you! That fucking creature is gone!"

She opened her eyes to see Richie's face near hers—his eyes were widened with fear and she could still see the chaos happening behind him, but all she could do was stare at him. And just like that, the crawling sensation and the baby's cries were gone.

And her face lit up with realization, "It's not real..." she muttered.

Richie didn't understand what she said, but he was relieved that she stopped screaming. The comedian didn't know how, but he managed to run to her side by crawling under the table to help Beverly find out what was wrong with his Aggie. He never wanted to listen to her panicking like that ever again, it was like she was begging for her life. And as much as he wanted to hug her right now, he simply turned around and placed her behind him, using his body as a shield as he focused on not allowing the flying fucker to approach him.

Beverly stepped next to Agata, cupping her cheeks on her head and checking to see if she was hurt—the two shared a smile before they held their breath at a new sound coming from the table.

From the bowl, everyone's jaws dropped when a black, gooey liquid began pouring out from it. And Agata didn't fail to notice that as soon as it touched the table's cloth, it burned it as if it was lava. She knew that the liquid was familiar, but ironically enough, Agata couldn't remember from where.

The liquid burned the papers where IT's message was formed, and everyone stepped even further away from it, now knowing that it could do if their skins ever touched it.

"Whoa, fuck!" Bill suddenly screamed when he noticed the floating heads inside the aquariums, Mike was scrambling away from one as well. They were children's heads, and Agata hid her face on Richie's arm to avoid looking at them more than she should've.

"It's not real!" Mike suddenly yelled as he bravely approached the table with a determined look, "This isn't real! It's not real!" he repeated loudly, grabbing a chair and smashing one of the creatures on the table with it.

Everyone stared at him, astounded.

"It's not real! It's not real!" he kept chanting as he hit every creature that it moved on the table, _"It's not real! It's not real!"_

His friends covered their bodies defensively as if they were scared bits would fly their way. Agata knew that Mike was right, but she couldn't help to still fear what surrounded her—she even noticed one of the floating heads winking at her when she opened her blue eyes again.

It was all chaotic—Mike hitting the table and the black goo while screaming his head out, everyone backing away from fear—but then, a normal and too casual voice joined in.

"Is everything all right?"

And just like that, the nightmarish displays were all gone.

The seven Losers halted in their positions as Mike hurled the chair on the floor, giving the waitress an erratic stare. She looked at them, confused and weirded out by the whole situation, but she managed to remain professional even in front of such a disordered disturbance.

Agata peeked from behind Richie's back as the other spoke, forcing a smile and a pleasant voice.

"Yeah, yeah. Can we get the check?"

The waitress nodded and walked off, unconcerned with the table being half-destroyed and their chairs being on the floor.

"That is a very nonchalant waitress, I'll give her that," Agata quipped weakly, using it as a way to calm herself down.

* * *

**9:43 PM**

"That's what Pennywise does, right? He fucks with us, so Stanley's probably fine!" Eddie insisted as everyone made their way out of the restaurant.

Even after going through that nightmare fuel situation, the seven adults still ended up arguing about who was going to pay for the meal. Agata wanted to diffuse the situation by suggesting that each one paid half—but then Mike told them that the meal had already been paid, from him.

After complaints and promises of paying him back, they were all too eager to leave the place. As nice as Chinese food was, Agata knew that she wasn't going to eat it for a while after this night.

"Yes, Stanley is fine. Maybe he's just late, that's fine. I'll make him dinner—there's a supermarket nearby, right?" Agata asked conversationally, trying to keep herself and everyone positive about Stan's whereabouts.

"Yep! I'll fucking help! Honestly, I've always wanted to cook, so," Eddie nodded quickly, jumping in on her train of thought.

Richie gave the two a piercing scowl, feeling like shit for knowing that they were just stalling the inevitable. It was painful to watch them convince themselves like this, but he didn't want to be the asshole to bring them back to reality.

"Hey, Mike? Do you have Stan's number?" Beverly asked him as she reached for her purse to fetch her phone from inside.

"Yeah," the librarian told her, feeling a little numb.

They were almost at the entrance's doors when a child's voice made them stop.

"Hey, Richie!"

The man himself was walking behind the group, hands inside his leather jacket, and now carrying a surprised look as he turned around with the others. Agata looked between the kid and Richie confusedly. The little boy couldn't be more than twelve—maybe eleven years old? But he was looking up at Richie with a starstruck expression and bright eyes.

"How'd you How'd you know my name?" Richie asked warily.

"The fun's just beginning, right?" the boy simply said before smiling widely—almost expectantly.

The kid kept staring, a little creepily for the group's liking.

So, of course, everyone's mind thought about a certain clown.

"What he said, is it" Eddie questioned fearfully as he looked at his friends for an answer before bolting away from the kid, hiding behind Beverly and Agata.

"Listen—you think this is funny? All right?" Richie began, voice trembling from the overwhelming anger and fear he was hasn't stopped feeling ever since that scene, "Think, this is some sort of game, huh?" Agata reached her arm towards Richie to stop him but the man was already grabbing the boy's shoulder, pointing at him accusingly, "Well, _fuck you_, all right?!" he yelled, shaking the kid a little.

"Rich, be careful, dude!" Bill told his friend.

"Wait, Richie I don't think—" Agata tried to warn him.

_"Fuck you! I'm not afraid of you!"_ Richie kept yelling, quite loudly.

The boy, however, looked unfazed by the screaming as he spoke again, "The fun's just beginning—the line from your act, dude. I'm a fan!"

Agata cringed when she noticed a couple approaching them with worried faces, behind them was a little girl, no older than thirteen years old.

"Are those your parents?" Richie asked, now calm and a little worried as he smiled nervously, "You want a picture?"

"You okay, Dean? Come on," Dean's father said, gesturing an arm towards his son and beckoning him to take it as he glared at Richie distrustfully.

Agata didn't blame the father, any parent would feel protective in this situation.

"I think I'm good," the boy, Dean, told Richie as he turned around and grabbed his dad's hand.

"Okay, cool. He's a good kid," Richie told the parents, trying to look friendlier, as they eyed him cautiously.

"Jesus Richie, you don't remember a line from your own show?" Ben asked confusedly as they all turned around to continue walking out of the building.

Agata eyed him keenly, noticing the annoyed and ashamed expression he carried. She frowned, trying not to analyze it too deeply—but it seemed as if Richie felt insecure.

"I don't write my own material," Richie stated forcibly as if it had left a bad taste inside his mouth.

"What?!" Agata exclaimed.

"I fucking knew it! I fucking knew it!" Eddie instantly looked up and pointed at Richie's back, almost poking it as he asserted his words hotly.

Agata inwardly noted that Eddie Kaspbrak watched Richie's shows before speaking, "You don't write any of it?" she asked, sounding a little disappointed.

Richie sighed and sunk his fists deeper into his jacket's pocket, shielding himself from her sad expression, " not anymore," he mumbled meekly before walking ahead of her, running away from the subject.

She was not going to let this go, there was something about it that bothered Richie and Agata wanted to help him.

* * *

Outside, in an empty area in front of the Jade of the Orient's parking lot, the seven Losers gathered as Beverly called Stan's phone—hoping to get some good news and calm their fears down.

"Hello, Mrs. Uris. My name is Beverly Marsh. I apologize for calling, but I'm an old friend of your husband's," Beverly began over the phone with a gentle voice.

"You lied to us, and that's not okay!" Eddie suddenly admonished Mike as the librarian looked at him with guilty eyes.

"Yeah, first words out of your mouth should have been like, _'Hey, man. You want to come to Derry and get murdered?'_" Richie backed him up as he pretended to be pleased when talking for Mike, "'Cause then I would have said _no_."

"Calm down, you two. Bev's on the phone..." Agata sighed, not wanting another argument to break between everybody.

"Guys..." Ben helped Agata, shushing them quietly.

"Fucking entrapment, man," Richie grumbled childishly, earning a glare from Agata as he smartly avoided it by looking at Beverly.

_"O-Oh He passed."_

They all stopped moving as Mrs. Uris's voice shakily confirmed what they all feared. Agata closed her eyes painfully and turned around, covering her mouth to cover a sob.

_"Are they always arguing like this?" the brunette asked Stan, who was kneeling next to her and focusing on keeping his rock balanced enough to create a wall._

_The curly-haired boy rolled his eyes, "You've been with us for like a month now, so you should know," he then smiled good-naturedly at the girl when she started chuckling._

"When did it happen?" Beverly asked softly as her eyes became wet.

The Losers were privately taking in the news—but they were all on the edge of shedding a tear, especially Bill, who shared a look with Mike.

_"Yesterday,"_ Patty Uris told her, _"It was horrible, the way he died. His wrists..."_ the woman couldn't even speak anymore as she began sobbing painfully.

Agata felt it, she felt the familiar lump forming on her throat. She couldn't breathe—Stan was gone. She had to leave, she needed to forget again and go back to her normal life before Agata lost someone else.

"In the bathtub."  
_"In the bathtub."_

Ben didn't miss the way Beverly stated it at the same time Stan's wife did.

_"I'm sorry. I have to go..."_ Patty weakly said.

"We're all very sorry, Patty," Beverly respectfully told her.

_"Thank you,"_ Patty said sadly before hanging up.

Bill was now letting his tears fall. Stan, his best friend—the one that could understand him better. The one that has been always by his side, the friend that Bill forced to go down into the sewers after Pennywise. Dead, gone, and Bill didn't even get the chance to reunite with him. No one did. Nobody got to see how amazing Stan the Man had turned out to be.

Agata didn't want to cry much further, she didn't want to feel like this again. Losing someone you love was the worst feeling a human could experience, both emotionally and mentally.

And poor Patty. The woman that Stan married must be equally incredible. And for her to get involved in this mess was tragic—it was probably their fault that Stan was dead. He must've had a happy, married life. He probably still loved watching birds, or finishing puzzles.

This wasn't fair.

Eddie began pacing, looking upset at the loss of his friend but more panicked as well now that shit just got real, he suddenly halted, and spoke up with a final tone filled with bitterness, "Stanley. Pennywise knew. He knew before we did."

Agata's stomach began churning as Beverly lit up a cigarette to relieve her stress.

"We have to stop him! I have a plan," Mike began, about to announce a detailed and emotional speech.

But Richie stopped him, glaring at him angrily, "I have a plan! Getting the fuck outta dodge before this ends worse than one of Bill's books! Who's with me?" he looked around, raising his arm.

Eddie did as well, giving Mike an unapologetic look.

And Agata, slowly raised her arms as well, avoiding Mike's surprised eyes with a rueful face, "I'm so sorry Mike" she sighed out, missing Richie's relieved expression when he noticed her arm in the air.

He was scared he'd have to follow after her like he did when she went inside Neilbolt—and remembering that now made him want to leave Derry even faster.

"We made a promise to each other!" Mike argued pleadingly.

"Let's unmake that promise!" Richie barked.

Agata felt that she needed to stay and help Mike, and part of her wanted to. But the bigger side was telling her to run back to New York City, hug Ollie, and never let go. All she wanted was to be his mommy, begin making memories, cook for him, take him to school, to her mom's place during the holidays—to shower that boy with love and help him move on from his rough start in life.

Agata loved everyone around her—they were her family as well, even after twenty-six years of forgetting about them. That's why she began changing her mind.

Slowly, Agata lowered her arm and sniffed, "Mike's right. I-I want to stay."

"What?!" Richie yelled, "No! Aggie, hold on—just a second ago you wanted to leave with _me_!" he approached her, giving her a scared expression, "Please, don't say that..."

Agata gave him a startled look, "Leave with _you_?" the implication was there, but Agata was not expecting Richie to say that so loudly, "I-_We_ have to help him, Richie..." she told him, softly, "Who else would, but not us?"

"Yeah, Rich, people are gonna die..." Ben added, walking closer to them.

"People die every day!" Richie snapped at him, not taking his eyes from Agata's, "You really wanna die for strangers? Uh?! What about your kid?"

"Richie..." Eddie cringed, not disagreeing with him but not enjoying hearing him use Agata's weakness like that.

Agata teared up, "I-I know, but I can't leave. What if Mike goes after IT by himself? What if he dies because we abandoned him?" she breathed shakily, "We already left him in this godawful town, alone, for almost thirty years!"

Richie pursed his lips and didn't say anything. He just gave a kicked puppy look and stepped away, allowing Agata to see Mike ahead of her, giving her an affectionate smile. She returned with a small, unsure one.

"We don't own this town _shit_!" Richie exclaimed, continuing to try and persuade everyone to leave with him, "Plus, I just remembered I grew up here, like, two hours ago—so, I'm fucking leaving! Fuck this!" and remaining true to his words, Richie turned around and marched angrily towards his red convertible parked across the street.

Agata watched him leave with a sad look, but then her eyes widened when she realized that this could be the last time she would see Richie if he was really leaving for good.

"Sorry man," Eddie meekly said as he began walking backward, his car being parked coincidentally next to Richie's, "Agata please?" he begged, not wanting to lose her. It didn't stop him from leaving her behind, but he mentally prayed she'd follow.

The therapist looked at Mike but quickly sidetracked her eyes towards Richie, who seemed to pause in front of his passenger's door to give her one last imploring look. Agata groaned, she could not resist those big, dark eyes.

Even after so long she still had it hard for Richie Tozier.

"Mike, I'm gonna go with them because I wanna go back and rest. But I_ swear_, I'm staying," she walked up to him and reached for his hand, squeezing it hard in assurance as she heard Richie slam his door noisily and turn his car's engine on.

"I believe you," Mike told her gratefully before he watched her run off towards the convertible while waving her arms, signalizing Richie to stop. He didn't want her to go, but Agata never lied to him so Mike decided to focus on trying to keep everyone in Derry to kill IT. He turned back to the remaining Losers and continued talking.

Meanwhile, Agata stopped right in front of Richie's car, making the comedian slam on his breaks with a disgruntled look. She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes purposedly when Richie's head came out of his window.

"What are you doing?! Didn't you choose to stay with Mikey?" he snapped at her bitterly.

"Stop being childish, Richie," she retorted, watching as Eddie's car was now behind Richie's, "I need a ride."

"Oh, really?" he remarked, trying not a smile.

But Agata couldn't hold it, giving him a knowing grin, "You know, I always liked riding your bike the most," she admitted shyly, "You were always fast, though. Not that I minded holding onto you."

Whoa, did she just flirted with him? It had come off so naturally that Agata seemed impressed with herself.

Richie chuckled, losing any pettiness towards her as he gestured his head towards the door on the other side, "You're safe with me, Aggie," he told her earnestly, and Agata swore his voice became deeper.

"I know," she laughed, circling his car and opened the door. When she sat inside, the mood shifted to something heavier—not necessarily negative, but there was another type of tension within the air.

Agata distracted herself by placing her seatbelt on after closing the door, and Richie cleared his throat as he drove away from the restaurant, suddenly looking very shy.

Now, how was he going to tell her that he remembered being her boyfriend?


End file.
